Country name:
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
conventional short form: Mauritania
local short form: Muritaniyah
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Nouakchott
Administrative divisions:
12 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital district*;
Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh
Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott*, Tagant, Tiris
Zemmour, Trarza
Independence:
28 November 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 28 November (1960)
Constitution:
12 July 1991
Legal system:
a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA (since 12
December 1984)
head of government: Prime Minister Sghair Ould M'BARECK (since 6
July 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 7 November 2003 (next to be held NA 2009); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA reelected
for a third term with 60.8% of the vote
Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh
(56 seats, a part of the seats up for election every two years;
members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms) and
the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (81 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2002 (next to be held NA
April 2004); National Assembly - last held 19 and 26 October 2001
(next to be held NA 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - PRDS 54, RFD 1, UNDD 1; National Assembly - percent of vote
by party - PRDS 79%, RDU 3.5%, UDP 3.5%, AC 5%, UFP 3.5%, FP 1.5%;
seats by party - PRDS 64, UDP 3, RDU 3, AC 4, RFD 3, UFP 3, and FP 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts
Political parties and leaders:
Action for Change or AC [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Alliance for
Justice and Democracy or AJD [Kebe ABDOULAYE]; Democratic and Social
Republican Party or PRDS (ruling party) [President Maaouya Ould Sid
Ahmed TAYA]; Mauritanian Party for Renewal and Concorde or PMRC
[Molaye El Hassen Ould JIYID]; National Union for Democracy and
Development or UNDD [Tidjane KOITA]; Party for Liberty, Equality and
Justice or PLEJ [Daouda M'BAGNIGA]; Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould
CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progress Alliance or APP [Mohamed El
Hafed Ould ISMAEL]; Popular Social and Democratic Union or UPSD
[Mohamed Mahmoud Ould MAH]; Progress Force Union or UFP [Mohamed
Ould MAOULOUD]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould
DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI
BABA]; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]
note: the Action for Change party was banned in January 2002;
parties legalized by constitution ratified 12 July 1991, however,
politics continue to be tribally based
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Arab nationalists; Ba'athists; General Confederation of Mauritanian
Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general];
Independent Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory
Ould BEYE]; Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely
Ould BRAHIM, secretary general]
International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, ECA, FAO, G-77,
IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending
member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM,
OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamedou Ould MICHEL
chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623
telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph E. LEBARON
embassy: Rue Abdallaye (between Presidency building and Spanish
Embassy), Nouakchott
mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott
telephone: [222] 25-26-60, 25-26-63, 25-11-41, 25-11-45
FAX: [222] 25-25-92
Flag description:
green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow, horizontal
crescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the crescent,
star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam