Parliamentary elections were held in

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

on 19 November, with a second round 3 December 2006. At least 28 political parties competed to comprise the lower house of parliament, the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

; Islamist parties were banned, but many Islamists ran as independent candidates. 95 seats in the National Assembly were at stake in the election, along with over 200 local councils."Opposition leads Mauritania race"
BBC News, November 23, 2006. About 600 independent candidates ran in the election, many of whom were grouped into the

National Rally of Independents National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

(RNI). Many members of the RNI were formerly members of the

Democratic and Social Republican Party The Democratic Republican Party for Renewal (french: Parti Républicain Démocratique pour le Renouvellement - PRDR) is a political party in Mauritania. Formerly known as the Democratic and Social Republican Party, (french: Parti Républicain D� ...

, which had ruled the country under President

Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya ( ar, معاوية ولد سيد أحمد الطايع, Ma‘āwiyah wuld Sīdi Aḥmad aṭ-Ṭāya‘ / Mu'awiya walad Sayyidi Ahmad Taya; born 28 November 1941) is a Mauritanian military officer who served as the ...

.IPU page on 2006 parliamentary election
.

Results

Before the first round's count was complete,

Ahmed Ould Daddah Ahmed Ould Daddah ( ar, أحمد ولد داده, born 7 August 1942Marwane ben Yahmed"Les vérités d’Ahmed Ould Daddah", '' Jeuneafrique.com'', February 18, 2007 .) is a Mauritanian economist and a politician. He is a half-brother of Mokta ...

claimed victory for his party, the

Rally of Democratic Forces The Rally of Democratic Forces (french: Rassemblement des Forces Démocratiques, RFD), or Assembly of Democratic Forces, is a political party in Mauritania. It is led by Ahmed Ould Daddah. In October 2000, the Union of Democratic Forces-New Er ...

(RFD), saying that it was "the country's biggest political force", and claiming that the eight-party coalition including the RFD had won a majority. The Popular Alliance for Progress (APP), a party for former slaves that is also part of the coalition, and the renamed former ruling party, the

Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal The Democratic Republican Party for Renewal (french: Parti Républicain Démocratique pour le Renouvellement - PRDR) is a political party in Mauritania. Formerly known as the Democratic and Social Republican Party, (french: Parti Républicain D ...

, were also reported to have performed well. Results from the first round confirmed a strong showing for the RFD, which won 12 out of the 43 declared seats;"Another step in democratic transition"
IRIN, November 23, 2006. independent candidates also did well, taking 24 seats. For 52 seats, however, candidates did not receive majorities and these seats had to be decided in the second round. After the second round was held on 3 December, the coalition of former opposition parties had 39 seats (including 15 for the RFD), with an additional two seats for independents supporting the coalition. Independents won 41 seats, 39 of which were part of the RNI. The former ruling party won seven seats. 17.89% of the deputies elected were female.

Messaoud Ould Boulkheir Messaoud Ould Boulkheir ( ar, مسعود ولد بو الخير, born 1943, Fara El Kitane ar, فرع الكتان) was among the first Haratine to become a political leader in Mauritania. Messaoud also contributed towards the end of the 19 ...

of the APP was elected as President of the National Assembly on April 26, 2007. There were 93 deputies present for the vote, and 91 of them voted for Boulkheir; two other deputies, Babah Ould Ahmed Babou and El Arbi Ould Jideyne, each received one vote."L'Assemblée nationale élit M. Messaoud Ould Boulkheir, son président"
AMI, April 26, 2007 .

References

{{Mauritanian elections Elections in Mauritania

Parliamentary election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

November 2006 events in Africa December 2006 events in Africa Election and referendum articles with incomplete results