Elections in Mauritania

Elections in Mauritania encompass four different types: presidential elections, parliamentary elections, regional elections and local elections.

This article only lists elections held after the introduction of multi-party politics with the 1991 Constitution, introduced after a referendum. During the authoritarian regime of Ould Daddah elections that were not up to democratic standards were held under a one-party state, while elections weren't held during a period of military junta rule after Mauritania's participation in the Western Sahara War.

Mauritania has a presidential election every five years, in which a president of Mauritania is elected in two rounds on the basis of a direct popular vote.

Parliamentary elections for the National Assembly are held every five years with a parallel voting system combining several national lists and an electoral district vote, with a two-round system used for one-seat districts, a general ticket used for two-seat districts, with larger districts using the proportional largest remainder method. Mauritania has a multi-party system with a dominant ruling party holding an absolute majority supported by several minor parties (with this bloc being referred to as the "presidential majority"). Mauritania has a high number of parties, with a peak of 105 parties running in 2018.

Regional and local elections are also held every five years (usually at the same time as parliamentary elections) to elect Mauritania's regional and local councils using a proportional largest remainder method. The presidency of said councils is held by the leader of the largest list in the election.

Presidential elections

The president is elected by popular vote in a two-round system for a five-year term. The latest election was held on 22 June 2019, marking Mauritania's first peaceful transfer of power in the presidency. Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (UPR) won the election in the first round, securing 52% of votes.

Parliamentary elections

Parliamentary elections are held to Mauritania's unicameral parliament, the National Assembly. The National Assembly is elected through a parallel voting system combining several national lists and an electoral district vote, with a two-round system used for one-seat districts, a general ticket used for two-seat districts, with larger districts using the proportional largest remainder method.

Senate elections

Mauritania's Parliament was bi-cameral between 1991 and 2017, with an indirectly elected upper house (the Senate) being abolished after a 2017 constitutional reform approved through a referendum. The Senate's term lasted six years, with one-third of the senators being renewed in indirect elections every two years.

Regional elections

Regional councils were created in Mauritania to replace the Senate abolished in 2017. Regional elections are held every five years (usually at the same time as parliamentary elections) using a proportional largest remainder method. The presidency of the regional councils is held by the leader of the largest list in the election.

Local elections

Referendums

Election organization

All elections are prepared, organized and supervised by the National Independent Election Commission (CENI), which:

takes care of observing the principle of equal access for all competing candidates to the official organs of the written, audio and visual press, being allowed to direct any observation or recommendation to the competent authorities,
participates in the media sector to educate citizens about the voting process,
and takes the necessary measures to facilitate the tasks of the national observers and the invited international observers in consultation with the competent diplomatic departments of the State.

External links

This Mauritanian elections-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.