Features Headlines Mauritania

Mauritania: President Abdel Aziz registers as presidential candidate

Mauritania will hold presidential elections in June and President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is the first person to hand in his documents as a candidate to the Constitutional court. The elections could be boycotted as it has been for the case of the municipal and legislative elections. Alongside the preparations for the elections, he is […]

Features Headlines Mauritania

Mauritania decides election dates despite disagreements

Presidential elections in Mauritania are scheduled to take place in June according to a government decree despite differences between the opposition parties and the ruling party. The opposition has doubts over the transparency and the credibility of the elections. The legislative elections held at the end of last year were boycotted by some parties and […]

Features Headlines Mauritania

Mauritania : A New Investment Hub for Arab FDI?

About 500 entrepreneurs from the Gulf States, the Maghreb, Europe, and Mauritania, as well as officers of a number of different international organizations, attended the first Mauritania Investment Forum that took place in the Nouadhibou Free Zone on January 26-27. The event that was opened by Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, was later crowned […]

Features Headlines Mauritania

Special Court to Try Slavery Crimes in Mauritania

Mauritania which is pinpointed by several international and national NGOs for the practice of slavery that is still common in the country decided to set up a special court to try slavery crimes and help thus put an end to the practice. The Judiciary Supreme council, chaired by the head of State, decided this week […]

Features Headlines Mauritania

Mauritania : ruling UPR dominates parliament

The ruling UPR party has emerged victorious in the second round of the legislative elections after winning more than 50% of the parliamentary seats. The elections have been criticized in several quarters and some opposition political parties preferred to boycott it. Tawassoul, a party participating for the first time, won majority of the seats among […]

Features Headlines Mauritania

“Slave-Like” Conditions of Black Mauritanians

According to a UN human rights expert, black Mauritanians are constantly subject to slavery-like practices including sexual harassment and violence. Mutuma Ruteere, the UN special rapporteur on racism claims that many black Mauritanians, mainly women and children, are still living with families in the conditions that remind of slavery. He adds that it is still […]

Features Headlines Mauritania

Mauritania : UPR leads polls criticized by Islamists

The results from the first round of the parliamentary and local government elections are dominated by the ruling party, Union for the Republic (UPR). The elections are seen as major test for President Abdel Aziz. Some of the opposition parties decided to boycott the elections in which 75% of the 3,5million voters took part. The […]

Features Headlines Mauritania

Islamists Likely to Win Seats in Mauritanian Parliament

Mauritanians voted in an election over that weekend that was boycotted by most of the radical opposition. While the country’s current President, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, is expected to retain power, the formerly banned Islamist party Tewassoul that wants to establish Sharia law looks poised to win seats in parliament. It was the first time […]

Features Headlines Mauritania

Mauritania: serious irregularities during the election process

Allegations of fraud are being claimed by Tawassoul President Jemil Ould Mansour in the parliamentary and local elections held during the weekend. The ruling party is already leading in the polls counted. Some opposition parties boycotted the elections claiming it is an “electoral masquerade”. The final results are yet to be published by the electoral […]

Features Headlines Mauritania

Mauritania-EU controversial fisheries agreement approved

The controversial European Union-Mauritania fisheries deal has finally been approved by the members of the European parliament much to the dismay of some of the fishermen.  The protocol of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with Mauritania becomes the biggest with regards to volume and the highest financial contribution that the EU has ever concluded. The […]