Politics - Research Africa > North of Africa > Mauritania - - Afran Studies - AFRAN Study and Research Institute (Africa & Iran)

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1) Government

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
Ambassadors from Finland > Current Finnish Ambassadors > Ambassador	No representation
Ambassadors from Israel > Current Israeli Ambassadors > Embassy > Website	Nouakchott
Ambassadors from Israel > Current Israeli Ambassadors > Israeli Ambassador	Boaz Bismot
Capital city	Nouakchott
Capital city > Geographic coordinates	18 07 N, 16 02 W
Capital city > Name	Nouakchott
Capital city > Time difference UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Constitution	12 July 1991
countries' copyright length > Usual term of copyright protection	Berne, TRIPS
CPIA equity of public resource use rating	3	[65th of 75]
CPIA quality of public administration rating	3	[45th of 75]
Diplomatic representation from the US > Chief of mission Ambassador Mark M. BOULWARE
Diplomatic representation from the US > Embassy 288 Rue Abdallaye, Rue 42-100 (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott
Diplomatic representation from the US > FAX	[222] 525-1592
Diplomatic representation from the US > Mailing address	BP 222, Nouakchott
Diplomatic representation from the US > Telephone	[222] 525-2660/525-2663
Diplomatic representation in the US > Chancery 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation in the US > Chief of mission	Ambassador Ibrahima DIA
Diplomatic representation in the US > FAX	[1] (202) 319-2623
Diplomatic representation in the US > Telephone	[1] (202) 232-5700, 5701
Elections > Head of state	Self-appointment
embassies and high commissions in Ottawa > Address	121 Sherwood Drive
Executive branch > Cabinet	Council of Ministers
Executive branch > Chief of state Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ who led a coup that deposed the democratically elected President Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDELLAHI on 6 August 2008
Executive branch > Election results percent of vote - (second round) Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDELLAHI 52.8%, Ahmed Ould DADDAH 47.2%
Executive branch > Elections president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held 11 March 2007 with a runoff between the two leading candidates held on 25 March 2007 (next to be held 2012); prime minister appointed by the president
Executive branch > Head of government Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed LAGHDAF (since 14 August 2008)
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
Flag modification	22	[62nd of 197]
Foreign relations > Croatia > Date of Establishment	November 11, 2004
Foreign relations of Western Sahara > States recognizing the SADR > Date of recognition February 27, 1984)
General government final consumption expenditure > annual % growth	14.96 %	[1st of 147]
General government final consumption expenditure > constant 2000 US$	316,259,800 constant 2000 US$	[97th of 145]
General government final consumption expenditure > constant 2000 US$ (per capita)	103.058 constant 2000 US$ per c	[81st of 146]
General government final consumption expenditure > constant LCU	66140060000
General government final consumption expenditure > current LCU	111745300000
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$	416,028,700 $	[120th of 169]
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$ (per $ GDP)	0.225 $ per $1 of GDP	[24th of 184]
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$ (per capita)	135.57 $ per capita	[95th of 184]
Government type	Democratic Republic
Independence 28 November 1960 (from France)
International organization participation ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts
Legal origin French
Legal system a combination of Islamic law and French civil law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; 53 members elected by municipal leaders and 3 members elected by Mauritanians abroad to serve six-year terms; a portion of seats up for election every two years) and the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (95 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Legislative branch > Election results Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Mithaq (coalition of independents and parties associated with the former regime) 37, CFCD (coalition of political parties) 15, representatives of the diaspora 3, undecided 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Mithaq 51 (independents 37, PRDR 7, UDP 3, RDU 3, Alternative (El-Badil) 1), CFCD 41 (RFD 16, UFP 9, APP 6, Centrist Reformists 4, HATEM-PMUC 3, RD 2, PUDS 1), RNDLE 1, UCD 1, FP 1
Legislative branch > Elections Senate - last held 21 January and 4 February 2007 (next to be held 2009); National Assembly - last held 19 November and 3 December 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
Management time dealing with officials > % of management time	5.84 %	[18th of 38]
National holiday Independence Day, 28 November
Parliamentary seats > Female	4%	[115th of 143]
Policy uncertainty > % of managers surveyed ranking this as a major business constraint	0.75 %	[19th of 38]
political parties > Multi party •(The party systemn is in transition)
Political parties and leaders Alternative or El-Badil; Centrist Reformists (independent moderate Islamists); Coalition for Forces for Democratic Change or CFCD (coalition of political parties including APP, Centrist Reformists (independent moderate Islamists), HATEM-PMUC, PUDS, RD, RFD, UFP); Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS; Democratic Renewal or RD; Mauritanian Party for Unity and Change or HATEM-PMUC; Mithaq (coalition of independents and parties associated with the former regime including Alternative or El-Badil, PRDR, UDP, RDU); National Rally for Freedom, Democracy and Equality or RNDLE; Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progressive Alliance or APP [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal or PRDR [Boullah Ould MOGUEYA] (formerly ruling Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS); Socialist and Democratic Unity Party or PUDS; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]; Union of Democratic Centre or UCD; Union of the Forces for Progress or UFP
Political parties and leaders > A 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 General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general]; Independent Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE]; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general]
Political pressure groups and leaders > Other Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; Islamists
Prime minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar
Procedures to build a warehouse > number	19	[50th of 168]
Procedures to build a warehouse > number (per capita)	6.191 per 1 million people	[50th of 170]
Procedures to enforce a contract > number	40	[51st of 170]
Procedures to enforce a contract > number (per capita)	13.035 per 1 million people	[43rd of 171]
Procedures to register property > number	4	[137th of 167]
Procedures to register property > number (per capita)	1,303.466 per 1 billion people	[59th of 167]
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament > %	4 %	[156th of 174]
Start-up procedures to register a business > number	11	[48th of 171]
Start-up procedures to register a business > number (per capita)	3.585 per 1 million people	[42nd of 171]
Status	pseudo-democracy
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal
Time required to build a warehouse > days	152 days	[108th of 168]
Time required to enforce a contract > days	400 days	[110th of 171]
Time required to register property > days	49 days	[85th of 167]
Time required to start a business > days	82 days	[18th of 171]
Time to prepare and pay taxes > hours	696 hours	[14th of 169]
Time to resolve insolvency > years	8 years	[5th of 151]
Transnational Issues > Disputes > International Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant
UN membership date	27 Oct. 1961
United Nations mission http://www.mauritaniembassy-usa.org/ http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/mrtoc.html
Washington, D.C. embassies > Neighborhood	Kalorama Heights

SOURCES
All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008; Wikipedia: List of Ambassadors from Finland ; Wikipedia: Ambassadors from Israel ; CIA World Factbook, 14 June, 2007 ; Wikipedia: List of countries' copyright length ; World Development Indicators database; Wikipedia: Elections by country ; Wikipedia: List of embassies and high commissions in Ottawa ; Flagspot; Wikipedia: Foreign relations of Croatia ; Wikipedia: Foreign relations of Western Sahara ; CIA World Factbook, 28 July 2005; United Nations World Statistics Pocketbook and Statistical Yearbook; Wikipedia: List of political parties ; CIA World Factbook, December 2003; Wikipedia: Prime minister ; electionworld.org; Wisconsin High School Model United Nations; Wikipedia: List of Washington, D.C. embassies

ALTERNATIVE NAMES
Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah, Muritaniyah

Democracy

Civil and political liberties	1.5	[106th of 140]
CPIA gender equality rating	3.5	[31st of 75]
CPIA policies for social inclusion/equity cluster average	3.4	[34th of 75]
CPIA property rights and rule-based governance rating	3	[40th of 75]
CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average	2.9	[47th of 75]
CPIA transparency, accountability, and corruption in the public sector rating	2.5	[62nd of 75]
Electoral system	two-round system
Electoral system type	majority
Female candidacy	1,961	[33rd of 161]
Female ministers	36%	[9th of 125]
Female parliamentarians	3%	[144th of 157]
Female suffrage	1961
First female parliamentarian	1975 (elected)
Gender Parity Index in primary level enrolment	1.00579324143979	[17th of 183]
Homosexuality laws of the world > Homosexuality laws > Laws against homosexuality	Yes
Parliamentary elections > Registered voter turnout	54.4%	[130th of 152]
Parliamentary elections > Total vote	560,045	[114th of 154]
Parliamentary elections > Voter registration	1,028,630	[110th of 152]
Parliamentary elections > Voting age population	1,135,690	[116th of 163]
Parliamentary elections > Voting age population (per capita)	367.894 per 1,000 people	[147th of 162]
Presidential elections > Invalid votes	0.9%	[53rd of 61]
Presidential elections > Registered voter turnout	74.7%	[37th of 86]
Presidential elections > Total vote	899,444	[74th of 87]
Presidential elections > Turnout	74.7	[25th of 82]
Presidential elections > Voter registration	1,203,670	[74th of 86]
Presidential elections > Voting age population	1,203,520	[79th of 91]
Presidential elections > Voting age population (per capita)	389.867 per 1,000 people	[73rd of 91]

SOURCES
Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2000-2001, New York: Freedom House, 2001; World Development Indicators database; No comment is being made on the state of democracy. Categorizations are based on the electoral law, or the last competitive election held; IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 1995. Women in Parliaments 1945-1995: A World Statistical Survey. Geneva and IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 2001. Correspondence on year women received the right to vote and to stand for election and year first woman was elected or appointed to parliament. March. Geneva; IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 2001. Correspondence on women in government at the ministerial level. March. Geneva; calculated on the basis of data on parliamentary seats from IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 2002. Parline Database. March 2002; IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 1995. Women in Parliaments 1945-1995: A World Statistical Survey. Geneva and IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union). 2001. Correspondence on year women received the right to vote and to stand for election and year first woman was elected or appointed to parliament. March. Geneva.; Source: Millennium Development Goals Database | United Nations Statistics Division; Wikipedia: Homosexuality laws of the world ; Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2003

ALTERNATIVE NAMES
Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah, Muritaniyah

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