egislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or
Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; 17 up for election every two years;
members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms) and
the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (79 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 17 April 1998 (next to be held NA
2001); National Assembly - last held 11 and 18 October 1996 (next to
be held NA 2001)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PRDS 71, AC 1, independents and other 7

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals;
lower courts

Political parties and leaders: Action for Change or AC [Messoud Ould
BOULKHEIR]; Assembly for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI
BABA]; Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS (ruling party)
[President Col. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA]; Mauritanian Party for
Renewal and Concorde or PMRC [Molaye El Hassen Ould JIYID]; National
Union for Democracy and Development or UNDD [Tidjane KOITA]; Party
for Liberty, Equality and Justice or PLEJ [Daouda M'BAGNIGA];
Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progress
Alliance or APP [Mohamed El Hafed Ould ISMAEL]; Popular Social and
Democratic Union or UPSD [Mohamed Mahmoud Ould MAH]; Progress Force
Union or UFP [Mohamed Ould MOLOUD]; Union for Progress and Democracy
or UNDD [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]

note: parties legalized by constitution ratified 12 July 1991;
however, politics continue to be tribally based

Political pressure groups and leaders: Arab nationalists;
Ba'athists; General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM
[Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general]; Independent
Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE];
Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould
BRAHIM, secretary general]

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT (associate),
ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77,
IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending
member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ahmed Ben Khalifa BEN JIDOU

chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

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