Mauritanian presidential election, 2007
Encyclopedia
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.
The 2007 election followed a military coup in August 2005 that ousted long-time president Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
; the head of the junta, Ely Ould Mohamed Vall
, said that he and the other members of the junta would not run for president in the election, which marks the last stage of the transition to civilian rule.
during the 1970s and briefly under Ould Taya in the 1980s, announced his candidacy for president on July 4, 2006. Ba Mamadou Alassane, President of the Party for Freedom, Equality and Justice (PLEJ), announced his candidacy on July 19, 2006. The former head of the Central Bank, Zeine Ould Zeidane
, announced his candidacy on December 18, 2006. Dahane Ould Ahmed Mahmoud announced his candidacy on December 23. Former military ruler Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
, who came in second place, behind Taya, in the 2003 presidential election
, announced his candidacy on December 27. On January 2, 2007, Mohamed Ould Maouloud, President of the Union of the Forces of Progress, was designated as his party's candidate. Former coup attempt leader Saleh Ould Hanenna
was chosen by his party, the Mauritanian Party for Union and Change (HATEM), as its candidate on January 9. Ahmed Ould Daddah, the half-brother of Moktar Ould Daddah and the leader of the Rally of Democratic Forces
— part of the Coalition of Forces for Democratic Change
, which took a large portion of seats in the November-December 2006 parliamentary election
— announced his candidacy on January 12. Another former coup attempt leader, Mohamed Ould Cheikhna, announced his candidacy on January 14. On January 20, Messaoud Ould Boulkheir
, President of the People's Progressive Alliance
(APP), announced his candidacy. Chbih Ould Cheikh Melainine announced on February 3 that he was withdrawing his candidacy and backing Haidalla, but he was not allowed to officially withdraw his candidacy, although according to Melainine he had requested the withdrawal two days before the February 4 deadline.
Abdallahi, who ran as an independent, was viewed by some as the candidate representing the ruling junta, and in January he received the backing of an important coalition of 18 parties composed of former supporters of Taya. Abdallahi denied being the junta's candidate. The Coalition of Forces for Democratic Change sent a letter to various international organizations, including the African Union
, accusing the junta of "running an open campaign in favour of one candidate" through various methods, including asking influential people in the country to back their favored candidate, although the letter did not directly name Abdallahi as this candidate.
Vall suggested at one point the possibility that, with blank ballots included in the total, no candidate would win a majority of the vote in two rounds, in which case new elections would have to be held. This caused a controversy, and the law was changed so that blank ballots would not count towards the total.
A record 1.1 million of the population of 3.2 million people registered to vote. Prior to the election, the frontrunners were considered to be Daddah, Zeidane and Abdallahi.
Abdallahi received the support of the third and fourth place candidates from the first round: on March 17, Zeidane announced his support for Abdallahi, and on March 19, Boulkheir also announced his support. Boulkheir's support came in spite of the fact that he was part of the Coalition of the Forces for Democratic Change along with Daddah. Abdallahi also received the support of several minor candidates: Dahane Ould Ahmed Mahmoud, Mohamed Ahmed Ould Babahmed Ould Salihi, Moulaye El Hacen Ould Jiyed, Isselmou Ould Mustapha, and Mohamedou Ould Ghoulam Ould Sidaty.
A televised debate between Abdallahi and Daddah was held on March 22. It was conducted in a non-confrontational style, with the candidates each explaining their positions. The candidates advocated similar policies, including measures against slavery, which persists in the country.
Abdallahi said that it would be easier for him to accomplish things as president because his supporters would constitute a parliamentary majority. He also said that if he won, he would be willing to include Daddah in the government, as long as his allies agreed.
Following the election, on March 26, Interior Minister Mohamed Ahmed Ould Mohamed Lemine declared Abdallahi the winner, saying that he won 52.85% of the vote. Abdallahi won 10 out of the country's 13 regions
; Daddah won in Nouakchott
, Inchiri Region
, and Trarza Region
. Turnout was about 67.5%. Daddah accepted the results and congratulated Abdallahi on his victory. The results were confirmed on 29 March 2007.
Abdallahi was sworn in on April 19. He named Zeidane as prime minister the next day, and Boulkheir was elected as president of the National Assembly
on April 26.
Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi
Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi is a Mauritanian politician. 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...
and Ahmed Ould Daddah
Ahmed Ould Daddah
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...
. Abdallahi won the second round with about 53% of the vote and took office in April.
The 2007 election followed a military coup in August 2005 that ousted long-time president Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya , was Prime Minister of Mauritania from 1981 to 1984 and president from 1984 to 2005. He guided Mauritania from military rule to democracy, and took a pro-Western stance in foreign affairs...
; the head of the junta, Ely Ould Mohamed Vall
Ely Ould Mohamed Vall
Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall is a political and military figure in Mauritania. He served as the transitional military leader of Mauritania following a coup d'état in August 2005 until 19 April 2007, when he relinquished power to an elected government....
, said that he and the other members of the junta would not run for president in the election, which marks the last stage of the transition to civilian rule.
Candidates and lead-up to the election
21 candidates registered to run for president of which 19 were approved to contest the election. Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, who served as a minister under Moktar Ould DaddahMoktar Ould Daddah
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.- Background :...
during the 1970s and briefly under Ould Taya in the 1980s, announced his candidacy for president on July 4, 2006. Ba Mamadou Alassane, President of the Party for Freedom, Equality and Justice (PLEJ), announced his candidacy on July 19, 2006. The former head of the Central Bank, Zeine Ould Zeidane
Zeine Ould Zeidane
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....
, announced his candidacy on December 18, 2006. Dahane Ould Ahmed Mahmoud announced his candidacy on December 23. Former military ruler Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
Ret. Col. Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah was the head of state of Mauritania from 4 January 1980 to 12 December 1984...
, who came in second place, behind Taya, in the 2003 presidential election
Mauritanian presidential election, 2003
A presidential election was held in Mauritania on November 7, 2003. As expected, President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was easily re-elected against weak opposition...
, announced his candidacy on December 27. On January 2, 2007, Mohamed Ould Maouloud, President of the Union of the Forces of Progress, was designated as his party's candidate. Former coup attempt leader Saleh Ould Hanenna
Saleh Ould Hanenna
Saleh Ould Hanenna is a former Mauritanian soldier and political figure.Hanenna served in the Mauritanian Army and rose to the rank of Major before being forced out in 2000. In June 2003, he led an attempted coup, aiming to overthrow President Maaouya Ould Taya. He commanded a rebel section of...
was chosen by his party, the Mauritanian Party for Union and Change (HATEM), as its candidate on January 9. Ahmed Ould Daddah, the half-brother of Moktar Ould Daddah and the leader of the Rally of Democratic Forces
Rally of Democratic Forces
The Rally of Democratic Forces is a political party in Mauritania. It is led by Ahmed Ould Daddah.In October 2000, the Union of Democratic Forces-New Era, which was led by Daddah, was dissolved by the government for allegedly inciting violence and harming the country's interests...
— part of the Coalition of Forces for Democratic Change
Coalition of Forces for Democratic Change
The Coalition of Forces for Democratic Change is a political party in Mauritania.The party won in the 21 January and 4 February 2007 Senate elections 3 out of 56 seats....
, which took a large portion of seats in the November-December 2006 parliamentary election
Mauritanian parliamentary election, 2006
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...
— announced his candidacy on January 12. Another former coup attempt leader, Mohamed Ould Cheikhna, announced his candidacy on January 14. On January 20, Messaoud Ould Boulkheir
Messaoud Ould Boulkheir
Messaoud Ould Boulkheir is among the first Haratine to become a political leader in Mauritania. Messaoud also contributed significantly to 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.Presently,...
, President of the People's Progressive Alliance
People's Progressive Alliance (Mauritania)
The People's Progressive Alliance is a political party in Mauritania.The President of the APP is Messoud Ould Boulkheir, who was a candidate in the November 2003 presidential election, which was won by President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya...
(APP), announced his candidacy. Chbih Ould Cheikh Melainine announced on February 3 that he was withdrawing his candidacy and backing Haidalla, but he was not allowed to officially withdraw his candidacy, although according to Melainine he had requested the withdrawal two days before the February 4 deadline.
Abdallahi, who ran as an independent, was viewed by some as the candidate representing the ruling junta, and in January he received the backing of an important coalition of 18 parties composed of former supporters of Taya. Abdallahi denied being the junta's candidate. The Coalition of Forces for Democratic Change sent a letter to various international organizations, including the African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
, accusing the junta of "running an open campaign in favour of one candidate" through various methods, including asking influential people in the country to back their favored candidate, although the letter did not directly name Abdallahi as this candidate.
Vall suggested at one point the possibility that, with blank ballots included in the total, no candidate would win a majority of the vote in two rounds, in which case new elections would have to be held. This caused a controversy, and the law was changed so that blank ballots would not count towards the total.
A record 1.1 million of the population of 3.2 million people registered to vote. Prior to the election, the frontrunners were considered to be Daddah, Zeidane and Abdallahi.
First round
On March 12, with about 26% of the vote counted, Abdallahi and Daddah were reported to both have about 25% of the vote; Zeidane was in third place with about 13%. With 86% of the vote counted, Abdallahi led with 22.76% of the vote, while Daddah had 21.46% and Zeidane was third. Later on March 12, Interior Minister Mohamed Ahmed Ould Mohamed Lemine announced the provisional results and said that Abdallahi and Daddah would compete in a second round on March 25. Final results were proclaimed by the Constitutional Council on March 15: Abdallahi received 24.80% of the first round vote, while Daddah received about 20.69% and Zeidane received about 15.28%. Messaoud Ould Boulkheir was fourth with about 9.79% of the vote, followed by Ibrahima Moctar Sarr with 7.95%. There were 794,979 voters out of the 1,133,152 who were registered, a turnout rate of 70.16%.Second round
On March 14, the Islamist "Réformateurs centristes", which supported Hanenna in the first round, backed Daddah for the second round. Hanenna also backed Daddah, as did the candidates Ba Mamadou Alassane, Mohamed Ould Maouloud, and Ibrahima Sarr.Abdallahi received the support of the third and fourth place candidates from the first round: on March 17, Zeidane announced his support for Abdallahi, and on March 19, Boulkheir also announced his support. Boulkheir's support came in spite of the fact that he was part of the Coalition of the Forces for Democratic Change along with Daddah. Abdallahi also received the support of several minor candidates: Dahane Ould Ahmed Mahmoud, Mohamed Ahmed Ould Babahmed Ould Salihi, Moulaye El Hacen Ould Jiyed, Isselmou Ould Mustapha, and Mohamedou Ould Ghoulam Ould Sidaty.
A televised debate between Abdallahi and Daddah was held on March 22. It was conducted in a non-confrontational style, with the candidates each explaining their positions. The candidates advocated similar policies, including measures against slavery, which persists in the country.
Abdallahi said that it would be easier for him to accomplish things as president because his supporters would constitute a parliamentary majority. He also said that if he won, he would be willing to include Daddah in the government, as long as his allies agreed.
Following the election, on March 26, Interior Minister Mohamed Ahmed Ould Mohamed Lemine declared Abdallahi the winner, saying that he won 52.85% of the vote. Abdallahi won 10 out of the country's 13 regions
Regions of Mauritania
||Mauritania is divided into 12 regions and one capital district:During the Mauritanian occupation of Western Sahara , its portion of the territory was named Tiris al-Gharbiyya.The regions are subdivided into 44 departments; please see departments of Mauritania for further detail.-See also:*ISO...
; Daddah won in Nouakchott
Nouakchott
-Government:The town was first divided into districts in 1973. First it was divided into four. From 1986, the city has been split into nine districts.* Arafat* Dar Naim* El Mina* Ksar* Riad* Sebkha* Tevragh-Zeina* Teyarett* Toujounine...
, Inchiri Region
Inchiri
Inchiri is a region in western Mauritania. Its capital is Akjoujt. It borders the regions of Adrar to the east, Trarza to the south, and Dakhlet Nouadhibou to the north and west, along with a short Atlantic Ocean coastline. Famously, Arthur Vincent Aston once visited for a week.-See...
, and Trarza Region
Trarza
Trarza is a region in southwest Mauritania. Its capital is Rosso. Other major cities and towns include Mederdra and Boutilimit. The region borders the Mauritanian regions of Inchiri and Adrar to the north, Brakna to the east and Senegal to the south...
. Turnout was about 67.5%. Daddah accepted the results and congratulated Abdallahi on his victory. The results were confirmed on 29 March 2007.
Abdallahi was sworn in on April 19. He named Zeidane as prime minister the next day, and Boulkheir was elected as president of the National Assembly
National Assembly of Mauritania
The Parliament has two chambers. The National Assembly has 81 members, elected for a five year term in single-seat constituencies. From 1961-1978, the only legal party was the Parti du Peuple Mauritanien . In the 1990s, a multiparty system was introduced in Mauritania...
on April 26.
| Candidates – Parties | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi is a Mauritanian politician. 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... |
373,520 | 52.85 |
| Ahmed Ould Daddah Ahmed Ould Daddah 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... – Rally of Democratic Forces Rally of Democratic Forces The Rally of Democratic Forces is a political party in Mauritania. It is led by Ahmed Ould Daddah.In October 2000, the Union of Democratic Forces-New Era, which was led by Daddah, was dissolved by the government for allegedly inciting violence and harming the country's interests... |
333,185 | 47.15 |
| Valid poll: | 706,705 | 100.00 |
| Spoiled votes: | 57,340 | |
| Total votes: (turnout 67.4 %) | 764,045 | |
| Sources: African Elections, African Press Agency | ||