Political Overview

On August 3, 2005, a group of senior military officials calling themselves the Military Council for Justice and Democracy (CMJD) led a bloodless coup d'état deposing President Maaouiya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. Colonel Ely Ould Mohammed Vall, a close ally of President Taya and his 21-year authoritarian regime (and a key player in the 1984 coup that originally brought Taya to power), was appointed president of the military junta. Shortly thereafter the CMJD announced that elections would be held within two years under the auspices of an independent election commission.

A constitutional referendum took place in June 2006, followed by legislative and municipal elections in November and December. Indirect senatorial elections were held in January 2007, and the presidential election took place in March 2007.

Each of these votes saw remarkable levels of transparency and consistently high voter turnout, near or above 70 percent. Independent candidate Sidi Mohammed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi won the presidential run-off election with 53 percent of the vote, and the results were approved by reports from various domestic and international observer groups, including a small election assessment team fielded by NDI, as well as by opposition political parties.

While the coup itself was a fundamental breach of the democratic process, the situation provided Mauritania with the opportunity to move from a closed and highly controlled political system to one that provides for multiparty politics and an engaged citizenry. Mauritania now stands to become a regional leader in democratic reform and an example of the transition to democratic rule.

Even with technically sound elections and other political and social reforms, however, the sustainability of Mauritania’s emerging democracy will depend on the ability of the newly elected government to effectively deliver on campaign promises and deal with crucial issues facing the country. In particular, the government will grapple with reducing poverty, corruption and the divisive ethnic tension resulting from the “89-91 Events,” during which Afro-Mauritanians were tortured, killed, purged from the state bureaucracy and military and forced to relocate to neighboring Senegal and Mali.

Program Overview

NDI has conducted programs in Mauritania since 2003, when it organized an assessment mission during flawed presidential elections. Following the assessment mission, NDI launched a modest civil society program in April 2005 to enhance dialogue between civil society and local political leaders, which included trainings for national women's organizations on how to engage leaders on issues of common concern to women, as well as a town-hall-style meeting in the northern city of Atar between civil society and local leaders. It was during preparations for the town hall meeting that the coup occurred.

NDI sent a three-member team to Mauritania the following month to assess the post-coup political environment, provide recommended benchmarks for a meaningful democratic transition, suggest possible democratic assistance programs and meet with key political actors in the country. By facilitating discussion and debate, NDI helped to promote dialogue and trust throughout the transition process as leaders finalized parameters for elections and the transfer of power.

In early 2006, the Institute opened an office and a resource facility to create a neutral venue for its partners, political parties, civil society organizations and Members of Parliament (MPs) to share information, network, access resources and participate in NDI-sponsored trainings. The center provides NDI’s partners with access to computers equipped with high-speed Internet, printers and photocopying services to support their efforts. A French and Arabic library provides resources for political party management, legislative research and advocacy, along with other related reference and news materials.

Program Activities

Supporting Parliament
As the first fully independent and freely elected legislature in the country’s history, Mauritania’s parliament has the opportunity and popular will to exercise considerable oversight to hold the historically powerful presidency and military accountable. Most of the MPs, however, are first-time officeholders seeking deeper understanding of their roles and responsibilities, institutional structures and legislative prerogatives. NDI is currently providing Mauritania’s MPs with information about legislative procedures and the political environment in which they will be representing their constituents. NDI also provided technical assistance on the drafting of parliamentary rules of procedure for the National Assembly.

Enhancing Dialogue
High levels of mistrust after nearly thirty years of military and dictatorial rule left Mauritania ill-prepared to restructure itself after the coup, and greatly exacerbated the ethnic tensions under the prior regime. In past programs, NDI has sponsored town hall meetings with civil society organizations and policymakers, fostered youth political participation and conducted a variety of activities to promote women's participation in political life.

NDI’s current programs specifically aim to enhance the capacity of civil society organizations to collaborate and advocate for a comprehensive reconciliation process based on a national consensus.

Strengthening Political Parties
NDI has continually provided technical assistance and training to Mauritanian political parties since opening an office in the country. The Institute’s work in this area has had the overall aim of increasing the capacity of political parties to influence electoral processes, effectively participate in elections and enhance women’s involvement in party organizing and decision-making. Past activities have included consultations with party leaders and roundtables on topics such as different mechanisms to increase women’s political representation or comparative models of electoral systems. NDI is working with political parties represented in the National Assembly on caucus-building, coalition management and constituent outreach.

Promoting Transparency
NDI conducted trainings for political party poll watchers throughout the pre-election cycle period to help ensure that the legislative and municipal elections in November 2006 proceeded freely and fairly. During the elections, representatives of each political party were present in each of the voting stations, helping to engender the transparency and calmness for which the elections were lauded by international observers.

In March 2007, NDI sent an international delegation of electoral experts for the second round of presidential elections to assess the political environment, identify potential weaknesses in the electoral framework and demonstrate the international community’s support for a peaceful, transparent and fair electoral process. The Institute is supporting the efforts of the Mauritanian parliament to implement legislation that promotes transparency, accountability and deeper democratic reforms.

Contact Information
For further information on our programs in Mauritania, please contact:

Gabriella Borovsky, Program Officer
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