al-Watani (95 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 21 January and 4 February 2007 (next
to be held 2009); National Assembly - last held 19 November and 3
December 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - Mithaq (coalition of independents and parties associated
with the former regime) 37, CFCD (coalition of political parties)
15, representatives of the diaspora 3, undecided 1; National
Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Mithaq 51
(independents 37, PRDR 7, UDP 3, RDU 3, Alternative (El-Badil) 1),
CFCD 41 (RFD 16, UFP 9, APP 6, Centrist Reformists 4, HATEM-PMUC 3,
RD 2, PUDS 1), RNDLE 1, UCD 1, FP 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts

Political parties and leaders:

Alternative or El-Badil; Centrist Reformists (independent moderate
Islamists); Coalition for Forces for Democratic Change or CFCD
(coalition of political parties including APP, Centrist Reformists
(independent moderate Islamists), HATEM-PMUC, PUDS, RD, RFD, UFP);
Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS; Democratic Renewal
or RD; Mauritanian Party for Unity and Change or HATEM-PMUC; Mithaq
(coalition of independents and parties associated with the former
regime including Alternative or El-Badil, PRDR, UDP, RDU); National
Rally for Freedom, Democracy and Equality or RNDLE; Popular Front or
FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progressive Alliance or
APP [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD
[Ahmed Ould DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed
Ould SIDI BABA]; Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal or PRDR
[Boullah Ould MOGUEYA] (formerly ruling Democratic and Social
Republican Party or PRDS); Socialist and Democratic Unity Party or
PUDS; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS];
Union of Democratic Centre or UCD; Union of the Forces for Progress
or UFP

Political pressure groups and leaders:

General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould
MOHAMED, secretary general]; Independent Confederation of
Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE]; Mauritanian Workers
Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general]
other: Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; Islamists

International organization participation:

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77,