Mauritania Government

What is the capital of Mauritania?

Country Name	Mauritania
Full Country Name	Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Local - Long	Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah
Local - Short	Muritaniyah
Former Name	named for the ancient Kingdom of Mauretania (3rd century B.C. to 1st century A.D.), which existed further north in present-day Morocco; the name derives from the Mauri (Moors), the Berber-speaking peoples of northwest Africa
Etymology- history of name	named for the ancient kingdom of Mauretania (3rd century B.C. to 1st century A.D.) and the subsequent Roman province (1st-7th centuries A.D.), which existed further north in present-day Morocco; the name derives from the Mauri (Moors), the Berber-speaking peoples of northwest Africa
Government Type	presidential republic
Capital Name	Nouakchott
Capital - geographic coordinate	18 04 N, 15 58 W
Capital Time Difference	UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Independence	28 November 1960 (from France)
National Holiday	Independence Day, 28 November (1960)
Constitution	history: previous 1964; latest adopted 12 July 1991 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament; consideration of amendments by Parliament requires approval of at least one third of the membership; a referendum is held only if the amendment is approved by two-thirds majority vote; passage by referendum requires simple majority vote by eligible voters; passage of amendments proposed by the president can bypass a referendum if approved by at least three-fifths majority vote by Parliament; amended 2006, 2012, 2017

Mauritania Capital City Map

Source: Google Maps

Mauritania Government and Politics

Who is the president of Mauritania?

Executive Branch:	chief of state: President Mohamed Ould Cheikh el GHAZOUANI (since 1 August 2019) head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed Ould BILAL (since 6 August 2020) cabinet: Council of Ministers - nominees suggested by the prime minister, appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 22 June 2019 (next to be held on 22 June 2024); prime minister appointed by the president election results: 2019: Mohamed Ould Cheikh El GHAZOUANI elected president in first round; percent of vote - Mahamed Ould Cheikh El GHAZOUANI (UPR) 52%, Biram Dah Ould ABEID (independent) 18.6%, Sidi Mohamed Ould BOUBACAR (independent) 17.9%, other 11.5% 2014: Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ elected president in first round; percent of vote - Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ (UPR) 81.9%, Biram Dah ABEID (IRA) 8.7%, Boidiel Ould HOUMEIT (El Wiam) 4.5%, Ibrahima Moctar SARR (SJD/MR) 4.4%, other 0.5%
Citizenship Criteria:	citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Mauritania dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Legal System:	mixed legal system of Islamic and French civil law
Suffrage:	18 years of age; universal
Legislative Branch:	description: unicameral Parliament or Barlamane consists of the National Assembly or Al Jamiya Al Wataniya (176 seats statutory; 88 members filled from one or two seat constituencies elected by a two-round majority system and the other 88 members filled from a single, nationwide constituency directly elected by proportional representation vote); 20 seats are reserved for women candidates in the nationwide constituency, 11 seats are reserved for young candidates (aged between 25 and 35), and 4 members directly elected by the diaspora; all members serve 5-year terms elections: last held in 2 rounds on 13 and 27 May 2023 (next to be held in May 2028) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - El INSAF 107, Tawassoul 11, UDP 10, FRUD (Republican Front for Unity and Democracy) 7, El Islah (Reformist Party) 6, National Democratic Alliance (AND) 6, El Karama (Dignity Party) 5, Nida Al-Watan 5, Sawab 5, Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal 4, Hiwar 3, Mauritanian Party for Union and Change (HATEM) 3, El Vadila (Party of Virtue) 2, Union for Planning and Construction (UPC) 1, Party of the Mauritanian Masses (Hakam) 1; composition - men, 135, women 41, percent of women elected 23.3% note - the early parliamentary elections in 2023 were the first to be held under President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, elected in 2019 in a first peaceful transition of power; the elections followed the agreement between the government and parties in September 2022 to renew the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) and hold the elections in the first semester of 2023 for climatic and logistical reasons
Judicial Branch:	highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (subdivided into 7 chambers: 2 civil, 2 labor, 1 commercial, 1 administrative, and 1 criminal, each with a chamber president and 2 councilors); Constitutional Council (consists of 9 members); High Court of Justice (consists of 9 members) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president appointed by the president of the republic to serve a 5-year renewable term; Constitutional Council members appointed - 3 by the president of the republic, 2 by the president of the National Assembly, 1 by the prime minister, 1 by the leader of the democratic opposition, 1 by the largest opposition party in the National Assembly, and 1 by the second largest party in the National Assembly; members serve single, 9-year terms with one-third of membership renewed every 3 years; High Court of Justice members appointed by Parliament - 6 by the ruling Coalition of Majority Parties and 3 by opposition parties subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; courts of first instance or wilya courts are established in the regions' headquarters and include commercial and labor courts, criminal courts, Moughataa (district) Courts, and informal/customary courts
Regions or States:	15 regions (wilayas, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott Nord, Nouakchott Ouest, Nouakchott Sud, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza
Political Parties and Leaders:	Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal or AJD/MR [Ibrahima Moctar SARR] El Insaf or Equity Party [Mohamed Melainine Ould EYIH] El Islah Party [Mohamed Ould TALEBNA] El Karama Party [Cheikhna Ould Mohamed Ould HAJBOU] El Vadila [Ethmane Ould Cheikh Ahmed Eboul MEALY] FRUD (Republican Front for Unity and Democracy) [Kadiata Malick DIALLO] Mauritanian Party of Union and Change (HATEM) [Saleh Ould HANENNA] National Democratic Alliance or AND [Yacoub Ould MOINE] National Rally for Reform and Development or RNRD or TAWASSOUL [Hamadi Ould Sidi MOKHTAR] Nida El-Watan [Daoud Ould Ahmed AICHA] Party for Conciliation and Prosperity or HIWAR [Valle Mint Mini] Party of the Mauritanian Masses (Hakam) [El Khalil Ould ENNAHOUI] Sawab Party [Ahmed Salem Ould HORMA] Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS] Union of Planning and Construction (UPC) [Qari Ould Mohamed ABDALLAHI] note: only parties with seats in the National Assembly listed
International Law Organization Participation:	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International Organization Participation:	ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AIIB, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic Representation in the US:	chief of mission: Ambassador BOIDE Cisse (since 15 September 2021) chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623 email address and website: ambarimwash@gmail.com; ambarimwashington@diplomatie.gov.mr mauritaniaembassyus.org – Mauritania Embassy washington
Diplomatic Representation from US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Cynthia KIERSCHT (since 27 January 2021) embassy: Nouadhibou Road, Avenue Al Quds, NOT PRTZ, Nouakchott mailing address: 2430 Nouakchott Place, Washington DC 20521-2430 telephone: [222] 4525-2660 FAX: [222] 4525-1592 email address and website: consularnkc@state.gov https://mr.usembassy.gov/

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