General Information
At stake in this Referendum:
- Approval of several amendments to the 1991 Constitution
Description of government structure:
- Chief of State: President Interim Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL *
- Head of Government: Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould BOUBAKAR
- Assembly: Mauritania has a bicameral Legislature consisting of the Senate (Majlis al-Shuyukh) with 56 seats* and the National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani) with 81 seats.
* President TAYA was deposed in a coup by the Military Council for Justice and Democracy led by Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL on August 3, 2005.
* A part of the seats are up for election every two years.
Main provisions in the Referendum:
- Approval of amendments to the 1991 Constitution This referendum asks voters to approve of several amendments to the 1991 Constitution which aim to reduce the presidential term to five years for a maximum of two terms and to limit the ability of the executive to rule by decree. Under the current Constitution, the president serves six-year terms for an indefinite number of terms. The proposed constitutional amendments also provide for a mechanism that would make it impossible for the parliament to change these provisions.
Electoral Requirements
- A majority of the vote is required in order for the referendum to pass.
Population and number of registered voters:
- Population: 3,241,762 (2006)
- Registered Voters: 1,073,287 (2006)
Gender Data:
· Female Population: 1,613,354 (2006)
· Is Mauritania a signatory to CEDAW: No
· Has Mauritania ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (10 May 2001)
· Gender Quota: Yes
· Female candidates in this election: Yes
· Number of Female Parliamentarians: 17 (National Assembly) (following the 2006 elections)
· Human Development Index Position: 156 (2014)
· Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High (2014)
Disability Data:
· Is Mauritania a signatory to CRPD: No
· Has Mauritania ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (3 April 2012)
· Population with a disability: 486,264 (est.)