Mauritanian parliamentary election, 2006

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Mauritania

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Mauritania

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Parliamentary and municipal elections in Mauritania occurred on 19 November and 3 December 2006.^[1][2] At least 28 political parties competed to comprise the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly; Islamist parties are 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. A second round was held on 3 December 2006.^[3]

Before the first round's count was complete, Ahmed Ould Daddah claimed victory for his party, the Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD), saying that it was "the country's biggest political force", and claiming that the eight-party coalition including the RFD had won a majority. The Popular Alliance for Progress, a party for former slaves that is also part of the coalition, and the former ruling party, the Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal, were also reported to have performed well.^[4] Results from the first round confirmed a strong showing for the RFD, which won 12 out of the 43 declared seats;^[3][5] independent candidates also did well, taking 24 seats.^[5] For 52 seats, however, candidates did not receive majorities and these seats had to be decided in the second round.^[3][5]

After the second round was held, the coalition of former opposition parties had 41 seats (including 15 for the RFD), independents had 39 seats, and the former ruling party had seven seats.^[6][7]

[edit] References

1. ^ Election Guide, Mauritania.
2. ^ "Mauritania stages historic poll", BBC News, 19 November 2006.
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Opposition leads Mauritania race", BBC News, November 23, 2006.
4. ^ "Mauritanian opposition leader claims victory", November 21, 2006.
5. ^ ^{a b c} "Another step in democratic transition", IRIN, November 23, 2006.
6. ^ "Longtime opposition parties win greatest share of seats in Mauritania's parliamentary vote", Associated Press, December 4, 2006.
7. ^ "Mauritania poll ushers in coalition", Al Jazeera, December 4, 2006.