Indirect Senatorial elections were held in Mauritania on 21 January 2007, with a second round on 4 February 2007.[1][2] There are 56 seats in the Senate. The senators were elected by 3,688 municipal councilors,[3][4] except for three (who represent the Mauritanian diaspora) who were chosen by the elected senators.[1][2][5]
Campaign
editThe period for the deposit of candidacies ran from 12 December to midnight on 21 December 2006.[6] 187 candidate lists were filed, including 133 for independents and 54 for parties or coalitions.[4] 170 lists were cleared to participate: 118 for independents, 37 for parties and 15 for coalitions.[7]
The campaign for the election began at midnight on January 4 and continued through January 19.[8][9]
Results
edit38 members were elected in the first round; independents of the Al-Mithaq coalition won 23 seats, while the Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal (PRDS) which had been the ruling party during the presidency of Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, won 3 seats,[1] and the opposition Coalition of Forces for Democratic Change (including the Rally of Democratic Forces) won 11 seats.
Of the 15 seats decided in the second round, eleven were won by Al-Mithaq independents and four by the CFCD. This resulted in the following totals:[1][10]
The vote for one seat was cancelled due to irregularities and planned to be held again later. Participation among the councilors who voted in the election was placed at 97.94%.[10] The three senators representing Mauritanians abroad were elected by the Senate on 9 June.[1]
| Party | First round | Second round | Total seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||
| Al-Mithaq | 2,258 | 71.98 | 23 | 1,081 | 77.94 | 11 | 34 | |
| Rally of Democratic Forces and allies | 365 | 11.64 | 5 | 98 | 7.07 | 1 | 6 | |
| Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal | 231 | 7.36 | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Union of the Forces of Progress | 129 | 4.11 | 1 | 29 | 2.09 | 0 | 1 | |
| Coalition of Forces for Democratic Change | 83 | 2.65 | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Mauritanian Party of Union and Change and allies | 31 | 0.99 | 1 | 103 | 7.43 | 2 | 3 | |
| Union for Democracy and Progress and allies | 28 | 0.89 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| People's Progressive Alliance and allies | 12 | 0.38 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| RFD–UFP | 76 | 5.48 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Representatives of the diaspora | 3 | |||||||
| Total | 3,137 | 100.00 | 38 | 1,387 | 100.00 | 15 | 56 | |
Aftermath
editBâ Mamadou dit M'Baré, a senator from Maghama, was elected as President of the Senate on April 26, 2007. 40 Senators voted for Bâ Mamadou dit M'Baré, while 11 voted for Ahmed Salem Ould Bakar, a senator from Boutilimit.[11]
The other seven members of the bureau of the Senate were elected later on the same day, with 41 votes in favor and 11 against. Néma Senator Hamma Ould Cheikh Saad Bouh was elected as First Vice-president, Rosso Senator Mohamed El Hacen Ould El Hadj was elected as Second Vice-president, and Tevragh Zeina Senator Rivaa Mint Ahmed Nalla was elected as Third Vice-president.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Results from the IPU.
- ^ a b "Les deux tiers du Sénat mauritanien pourvus au premier tour, dimanche"[permanent dead link], African Press Agency, January 22, 2007 (in French).
- ^ Ibrahima Sylla, "Mauritania elects Senate", Independent Online (South Africa), January 21, 2007.
- ^ a b "187 listes candidates aux élections sénatoriales" Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, Agence Mauritanienne d'Information, December 24, 2006 (in French).
- ^ Chaput, Kevin (2007-05-02). "Vers la fin d'une transition politique en Mauritanie". Perspective Monde (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "Fin du délai de dépôt des candidatures au sénat ce soir à minuit" Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, Agence Mauritanienne d'Information, December 21, 2006 (in French).
- ^ "Mauritania Holds Senate Election in Post-Coup Process". Voice of America. 2009-11-01. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "Démarrage de la campagne électorale pour les sénatoriales du 21 janvier 2007" Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, Agence Mauritanienne d'Information, January 4, 2007 (in French).
- ^ "3.688 conseillers municipaux élisent dimanche 53 sénateurs de la chambre haute" Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, Agence Mauritanienne d'Information, January 19, 2007 (in French).
- ^ a b "Sénatoriales: la coalition ""Al Mithaq"" remporte le second tour", avmaroc.com, February 5, 2007 (in French).
- ^ "Le Sénat élit M. Bâ Mamadou dit M'Baré, son président"[permanent dead link], AMI, April 26, 2008 (in French).
- ^ "La Chambre haute du parlement élit son bureau"[permanent dead link], AMI, April 26, 2007 (in French).