Mauritanian presidential election, 1961

Last updated
Mauritania
Seal of Mauritania.svg
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Mauritania

Presidential elections were held for the first time in Mauritania in August 1961 to elect the President for the next five years. Moktar Ould Daddah, who had been acting head of state since independence from France in 1960 was the only candidate, and was elected unopposed. Although he was a member of the ruling Mauritanian Regroupment Party, his candidacy was also supported by the Mauritanian National Union. [1] Voter turnout was 93.6%. [2]

Mauritania Islamic republic in Northwest Africa

Mauritania is a country in Northwest Africa. It is the eleventh largest sovereign state in Africa and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to the north and northwest, Algeria to the northeast, Mali to the east and southeast, and Senegal to the southwest.

Moktar Ould Daddah Mauritanian politician

Moktar Ould Daddah was the President of Mauritania from 1960, when his country gained its independence from France, to 1978, when he was deposed in a military coup d'etat.

France Republic with mainland in Europe and numerous oversea territories

France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast, Switzerland and Italy to the east, and Andorra and Spain to the south. The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The country's 18 integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres (248,573 sq mi) and a total population of 67.3 million. France, a sovereign state, is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban areas include Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice.

Contents

The elections were the last multi party elections held in the country until 1992 as a constitutional amendment in 1964 declared the nation a one-party state, and during 1965 all parties merged with the ruling Mauritanian Assembly Party to form the Mauritanian People's Party.

A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of state in which one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties are either outlawed or allowed to take only a limited and controlled participation in elections. Sometimes the term de facto one-party state is used to describe a dominant-party system that, unlike the one-party state, allows democratic multiparty elections, but the existing practices or balance of political power effectively prevent the opposition from winning the elections.

Mauritanian People's Party was the sole legal party of Mauritania from 1961 to 1978. It was headed by President Moktar Ould Daddah.

Background

Mauritania came under the direct control of the French Colonial Empire during 1933. [3] On 28 November 1958, a constitutional amendment allowed the creation of a transitional Legislative Council, replacing the Territorial Assembly established during the French colonial regime. The country lacked experts to frame the constitution and accepted the suggestions of a group of French jurists on 22 March 1959 unanimously. [4]

After independence on 28 November 1960, the country declared itself the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, with Ould Daddah becoming the first President of the country. [3] During the transitional period, Daddah was successful in orienting different tribal and ethnic divisions in the country. He faced pressure on some of the provinces annexed by the neighboring Morocco under Sultan Mohamed V and sought support from Arab neighbors. He also maintained relations with French government and sought the help to station its troops in Mauritania which would go on until 1966. [5]

Morocco Country in North Africa

Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in the Maghreb region of North West Africa with an area of 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi). Its capital is Rabat, the largest city Casablanca. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Morocco claims the areas of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, all of them under Spanish jurisdiction.

Results

Moktar Ould Daddah, the winner of the 1961 Presidential elections Moktar Ould Daddah.jpg
Moktar Ould Daddah, the winner of the 1961 Presidential elections
CandidatePartyVotes%
Moktar Ould Daddah Mauritanian Regroupment Party 370,970100
Invalid/blank votes838–
Total371,808100
Registered voters/turnout397,58893.5
Source: Nohlen et al.

Related Research Articles

The original inhabitants of Mauritania were the Bafour, presumably a Mande ethnic group, connected to the contemporary Arabized minor social group of Imraguen ("fishermen") on the Atlantic coast.

Politics of Mauritania

The first fully democratic Presidential election since 1960 occurred on 11 March 2007. The election was the final transfer from military to civilian rule following the military coup in 2005. This was the first time the president was selected by ballot in the country's history. The election was won by Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, who was ousted by a military coup in 2008 and replaced by general Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

Flag of Mauritania national flag

The flag of Mauritania is a green field containing a gold star and crescent, with a red stripe at the top and bottom of the field. The original national flag was introduced under the instructions of President Moktar Ould Daddah and the constitution of 22 March 1959 and was adopted on 1 April 1959.

2007 Mauritanian presidential election

A Mauritanian presidential election occurred on 11 March 2007. Since no candidate received a majority of the votes, a second round was held on 25 March between the top two candidates, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi and Ahmed Ould Daddah. Abdallahi won the second round with about 53% of the vote and took office in April.

Opération Lamatin was a December 1977 – July 1978 military intervention by France on the behalf of the Mauritanian government, in its war against Sahrawi guerrilla fighters of the Polisario Front, seeking independence for Western Sahara. Airstrikes were launched in the provinces, but the results of the operation were not significant. France used Jaguar combat aircraft from Dakar Airbase. The bombings were targeted in the rail route from the iron mines in Zouérat to the coast of Nouadhibou, which were obstructed by Polisario.

2006 Mauritanian parliamentary election

Parliamentary and municipal elections in Mauritania occurred on 19 November and 3 December 2006. At least 28 political parties competed to comprise the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly; Islamist parties were banned, but many Islamists ran as independent candidates. 95 seats in the National Assembly were at stake in the election, along with over 200 local councils.

Ahmed Ould Daddah is a Mauritanian economist, politician and civil servant. He is a half-brother of Moktar Ould Daddah, the first President of Mauritania, and belongs to the Marabout Ouled Birri tribe. He is currently the President of the Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD) and was designated as the official leader of the opposition following the 2007 presidential election, in which he placed second.

This article is about the history of Mauritania from 1960 to 1978. Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is an Arab Maghreb country in West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest. It is named after the ancient Berber Kingdom of Mauretania, which later became a province of the Roman Empire, even though the modern Mauritania covers a territory far to the south of the old Berber kingdom that had no relation with it.

2009 Mauritanian presidential election

A presidential election was held in Mauritania on 18 July 2009. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who led the 2008 coup d'état, won a narrow first-round majority in the election, according to official results. A second round, if necessary, would have been held on 1 August 2009.

Ahmed Baba Miské was a Mauritanian politician, writer, diplomat and author of Lettre ouverte aux elites du Tiers-monde. He was a Mauritanian ambassador and Polisario Front member.

1959 Mauritanian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Mauritania on 17 May 1959. The result was a victory for the Mauritanian Regroupment Party, which was the only party to contest the elections, thereby winning all 40 seats in the National Assembly. Voter turnout was 90.3%.

1966 Mauritanian presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Mauritania on 7 August 1966. Following the merger of all the country's political parties into the Mauritanian People's Party (PPM), the country had become a one-party state in December 1961. Its leader, incumbent President Moktar Ould Daddah, was the only candidate, and was re-elected unopposed. Voter turnout was 96.2%.

1971 Mauritanian general election

General elections were held in Mauritania on 8 August 1971 to elect a President and National Assembly, the first time the two elections had been held together. At the time, the country was a one-party state with the Mauritanian People's Party (PPM) as the sole legal party. Its leader, incumbent President Moktar Ould Daddah, was the only candidate in the presidential election, and was re-elected unopposed to a third term in office, whilst the PPM won all 50 seats in the National Assembly election. Voter turnout for the parliamentary election was reported to be 95.6%.

1976 Mauritanian general election

General elections were held in Mauritania on 8 August 1976 to elect a President and National Assembly. At the time, the country was a one-party state with the Mauritanian People's Party (PPM) as the sole legal party. Its leader, incumbent President Moktar Ould Daddah, was the only candidate in the presidential election, and was re-elected unopposed, whilst the PPM won all the seats in the National Assembly election. Voter turnout was 97.9%. They were the last elections held until the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1992.

Mauritanian Regroupment Party was a political party in Mauritania from 1958 to 1961. Although nominally led by party President Sidi el-Mokhtar N'Diaye, it was de facto headed by Moktar Ould Daddah.

Mauritanian National Renaissance Party was an Arab nationalist political party in Mauritania from 1958 to 1961. It was led by Ahmed Baba Miské.

Mauritanian Progressive Union

The Mauritanian Progressive Union was a political party in pre-independence Mauritania.

References

  1. ↑ "Elections in Mauritania". African Elections Database. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  2. ↑ Nohlen, D; Krennerich, M; Thibaut, B (1999). Elections in Africa: A data handbook. p. 594. ISBN   0-19-829645-2.
  3. 1 2 Europa Publications (2003). A Political Chronology of Africa. Routledge. p. 285. ISBN   9781135356668.
  4. ↑ Pazzanita, Anthony G. (2008). Historical Dictionary of Mauritania Volume 110 of Historical Dictionaries of Africa. Scarecrow Press. pp. 134–5. ISBN   9780810862654.
  5. ↑ Shillington, Kevin, ed. (2013). Encyclopedia of African History 3-Volume Set. Routledge. p. 959. ISBN   9781135456702.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.