Mauritania Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

NOTE: Mauritania acquired administrative control of the southern third of Western (formerly Spanish) Sahara under a 1975 agreement with Morocco and Spain. Following an August 1979 peace agreement with Polisario insurgents fighting for control of Western Sahara, Mauritania withdrew from the territory and renounced all territorial claims.

Official name: Islamic Republic of Mauritania

Type: republic; military first seized power in bloodless coup 10 July 1978; a palace coup that took place on 12 December 1984 brought the President to power

Capital: Nouakchott

Political subdivisions: 12 regions and a capital district

Legal system: based on Islamic law; military constitution April 1979

National holiday Independence Day, 28 November

Branches: executive, Military Committee for National Salvation rules by decree; National Assembly and judiciary suspended pending restoration of civilian rule

Government leader: Col. Maaouiya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA, President and Prime Minister (since December 1984)

Suffrage: universal for adults

Elections: in abeyance; last presidential election August 1976

Political parties and leaders: suspended

Communists: no Communist Party, but there is a scattering of Maoist sympathizers

Mauritania

Member of : AfDB, A10EC, Arab League, CEAO, CIPEC (associate), EAMA, E1B (associate) FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, 1LO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, O1C, OM VS (Organization for the Development of the Senegal River Valley), UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

NOTE: The information regarding Mauritania on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Mauritania 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Mauritania 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.