The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Democratic progress faltered in Mauritania, when in August 2008, less than two years after Mauritanian citizens democratically elected Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi as president, senior military officers led a coup d’état which overturned the government. A military junta led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz ruled the country during the proceeding months of political gridlock which saw the rise of a coalition of political parties standing in opposition to the junta, demanding return to constitutional order. Under an agreement signed in Dakar in late June 2009 which forged a compromise between the ruling junta and the opposition, a national unity government is steering the country toward presidential elections scheduled for July 18, with a potential run-off on August 1.

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  • Issue No. 2 – July 7 - July 13, 2009 | Read this issue »

  • Issue No. 1 – June 30 - July 6, 2009 | Read this issue »