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

Politics 0 779 reads

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

Items by the same author

Other articles in this category
Mauritania at a glance
Geography
History
Culture
Economy(1)
Economy(2)
Politics
Military