January, 2002

Elections in Mauritania: the Hegemony Continues

Badr Hassan Shafei

The first and second rounds of the local and parliamentary elections in Mauritania were held on 19 and 26 October 2001 to choose 81 representatives for the National Association and 216 local councils respectively. These elections are important for a number of reasons; most parties took part in the elections although some of them had threatened not to participate if the electoral system did not publish electoral cards that cannot be counterfeited. The elections were an ideal opportunity for both the government and opposition to assess their true weight in the political arena.

The elections ended with the victory of the ruling Republican Party, which took 58 seats in the 81-seat parliament. The results of the elections reflect a high degree of competitiveness in comparison to the elections of 1996 and indicate as well that competition in parliamentary elections was much harsher than local elections. Participation stood at 55 per cent in the first phase and 70 per cent in the second. The elections, however, disclosed the vulnerability of the opposition as a result of its fragile composition and weak resources. Tribal affiliation in the country is the reason behind the increasing interest in the voting process in rural areas in comparison to urban ones; this also weakened the opposition parties' positions in the overall scheme of things.

In light of the latest elections, the coming era is expected to witness a total re-evaluation of matters and a logistical restructuring of the opposition parties as a whole. The concept of opposition for the sake of opposition is also an ill that has to be cured. Improving the deteriorating economic situation and the living standards of the citizens should top the government's priorities in the coming era. The government should also review its stance regarding its normalisation of relations with Israel, which has led to problems not only on the internal level, but on the Arab and Islamic levels as well.