Mauritania is a presidential democracy, but has suffered from repeated military coups since its Independence in November 1960. For 18 years after independence, Mauritania was a one-party state under Moktar Ould Daddah. This was followed by decades of military rule. The first fully democratic presidential election in Mauritania occurred on 11 March 2007, which marked a transfer from military to civilian rule following the military coup in 2005. The election was won by Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, who was ousted by another military coup in 2008 and replaced by general Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. Mauretania underwent its first peaceful transition of power after the 2019 presidential election, although this was between two presidents of the ruling UPR party and former army generals.
The Union for Democracy and Progress is a political party in Mauritania. The UDP is led by Naha Mint Mouknass. As of 2023, the UDP has 10 seats in the National Assembly of Mauritania.
The Union of the Forces of Progress is a centre-left to left-wing political party in Mauritania.
The Union of Democratic Forces-New Era was a political party in Mauritania, founded in 1991, and banned and dissolved in 2000. The Secretary-general of the party was Ahmed Ould Daddah. In February 1997 the five-party Front of Opposition Parties (FPO), including the UFD-EN, was formed; it boycotted the December 1997 presidential election, in which President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was easily re-elected.
Col. Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla was the head of state of Mauritania from 4 January 1980 to 12 December 1984.
Messaoud Ould Boulkheir is a political figure from Mauritania and a leader in the Haratine community. Messaoud also contributed towards the end of the 1989 events in Mauritania, protecting the right of the victims and the emancipation of the Haratine in Mauritania with his party.
Presidential elections were held in Mauritania on 11 March 2007. As 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.
Parliamentary elections were held in Mauritania on 19 November 2006, with a second round on 3 December. At least 28 political parties competed for seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament. 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 and a politician. 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.
Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was a Mauritanian politician who was President of Mauritania from 2007 to 2008. He served in the government during the 1970s, and after a long period of absence from politics he won the March 2007 presidential election, taking office on 19 April 2007. He was deposed in a military coup d'état on 6 August 2008.
Zeine Ould Zeidane is a Mauritanian economist and politician. He placed third as a candidate in the March 2007 presidential election, and he subsequently served as Prime Minister from April 2007 to May 2008.
Ibrahima Moctar Sarr is a Mauritanian journalist and politician of the Fulani ethnicity. Running as an independent candidate, he placed fifth in the March 2007 presidential election, and he has been the President of the Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal (AJD/MR) party from August 2007 until January 2024.
Saleh Ould Hanenna is a former Mauritanian soldier and political figure.
The People's Progressive Alliance is a small political party in Mauritania.
Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef is a Mauritanian politician. He was appointed as Prime Minister of Mauritania on 6 May 2008, serving until the August 2008 coup d'état. Yahya is also President of the National Pact for Democracy and Development (ADIL), and he was Secretary-General of the Presidency from 2007 to 2008.
The 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état was a military coup that took place in Mauritania on August 6, 2008, when President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was ousted from power by the Armed Forces of Mauritania, led by a group of high-ranking generals he had dismissed from office earlier that day.
Presidential elections were 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.
The Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal is a small political party in Mauritania. It represents the black minority population of the south of the country, centered on the Senegal River valley, and was formed and was led by rights activist and former presidential candidate Ibrahima Moctar Sarr.
The National Democratic Alliance is a centrist political party in Mauritania. It became the fifth largest political party of the country after the 2018 parliamentary elections. The AND backs the administration of Mohamed Ould Ghazouani and is part of the Coordination of Parties of the Majority.
