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MAURITANIA
Al Jamiya-Al-Wataniya (National Assembly)
ELECTIONS IN 2006

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A historical Archive of past election results for this chamber can be found on a separate page

Parliament name (generic / translated) Barlamane / Parliament
Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name (generic / translated) Al Jamiya-Al-Wataniya / National Assembly
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Majlis Al-Chouyoukh / Senate
BACKGROUND
Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 19 November 2006
Purpose of elections Elections were held for all the seats in the National Assembly which had been dissolved in August 2005 following a coup d'état.
On 19 November 2006 parliamentary elections were held for all 95 seats in the enlarged National Assembly. They were the first elections since the military coup that ousted President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya on 3 August 2005.

Parliament had been dissolved immediately after the coup. The Military Council for Justice and Democracy headed by Colonel Ely Ould Mohammed Vall had promised that parliamentary elections would take place within two years and that no members of the Military Council would be candidates. A referendum on 25 June 2006 approved amendments to the 1991 Constitution by 96 per cent of votes paving the way for the re-establishment of parliament.

In the elections held in October 2001 the Democratic and Social Republican Party (PRDS) of President Ould Taya won 64 of the then 81 seats in the National Assembly. Its allies won another six seats while four opposition parties won between one and four seats each.

After the coup the former ruling party changed its name from the PRDS to the Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal (PRDR).

In June 2006 eleven former opposition parties formed an electoral coalition called the Forces of Change for Democracy (CFCD see note) which pledged to promote national unity and further develop the country. Some independent candidates reportedly backed by banned Islamist parties were allied to the CFCD. The CFCD leader Mr. Ahmed Ould Daddah called for a process of national reconciliation that would take the rights of oppressed people into account.

In the 2006 elections candidates were allowed to run as independents for the first time. In addition to 25 political parties 600 independent candidates contested the elections. Many independent candidates were former members of the ruling party and allied themselves to an unofficial political group called the National Rally of Independents (RNI). The RNI was coordinated by Mr. Lemrabott Sidi Mahmoud Ould Cheikh Ahmed a former Interior Minister under President Ould Taya.

Around 3.1 million people were estimated to be eligible to vote although just over one million were recorded on the electoral register. Over 73 per cent of the registered voters turned out for the polls on 19 November. Only 43 candidates were elected at the first round. Turnout for the second round held on 3 December was 69 per cent. The European Union observer mission said that the elections were generally free and transparent.

The CFCD coalition won a total of 41 seats with the support of two independents. Of the 41 independent candidates who won seats 39 were reportedly associated with the RNI which expressed its intention to form a parliamentary party after the senatorial elections in January 2007. The PRDR became the third-largest party in the National Assembly winning seven seats.

The National Assembly is expected to convene on 14 May 2007 at the same time as the Senate whose members were indirectly elected in January and February 2007.

In the presidential elections held in March 2007 economist and former minister Mr. Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was elected with 52.85 percent of the votes.

Note:
The CFCD was composed of the following political parties:
Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD)
Union of Forces of Progress (UFP)
People's Progressive Alliance (APP)
Mauritanian Party of Union and Change (HATEM)
Democratic Renovation Party (RD)
Popular Front Party (FP)
Social-Democratic Unionist Party (PUDS)
Centrist reformers
Al-Sawab Party
RPM Temam (Rally for Mauritania)
Movement for Direct Democrac
STATISTICS
Voter turnout
Round no 119 November 2006
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes
1'073'287
788'029 (73.42%)
122'716
665'313
Notes
Round no 23 December 2006
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes
632'956
439'835 (69.49%)
27'289
412'546
Notes
Distribution of seats
Round no 1
Political Group Total Total seats
Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD) 12
Independents 10
Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal (PRDR) 4
People's Progressive Alliance (APP) 4
Union of Forces of Progress (UFP) 3
Rally for Democracy and Unity (RDU) 2
Democratic Renovation Party (RD) 2
Mauritanian Party of Union and Change (HATEM) 2
Popular Front Party (FP) 1
Union for Democracy and Progress (UDP) 1
Social-Democratic Unionist Party (PUDS) 1
National Rally for Democracy Liberty and Equality (RNLDE) 1
Union of the Democratic Center (UCD) 0
Alternative 0
HATEM-APP 0
RFD-UFP 0
Round no 2
Political Group Total Total seats
Independents 31 41
Union of Forces of Progress (UFP) 5 8
Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD) 3 15
Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal (PRDR) 3 7
Union for Democracy and Progress (UDP) 2 3
HATEM-APP 2 2
RFD-UFP 2 2
Union of the Democratic Center (UCD) 1 1
Alternative 1 1
People's Progressive Alliance (APP) 1 5
Rally for Democracy and Unity (RDU) 1 3
Democratic Renovation Party (RD) 0 2
Mauritanian Party of Union and Change (HATEM) 0 2
Popular Front Party (FP) 0 1
Social-Democratic Unionist Party (PUDS) 0 1
National Rally for Democracy Liberty and Equality (RNLDE) 0 1
Distribution of seats according to sex
Men
Women
Percent of women
78
17
17.89%
Distribution of seats according to age
Distribution of seats according to profession
Comments
Sources:
- http://www.mauritania.mr/
- National Assembly (01.01.2008)

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