ve-year terms; election last held 7 November 2003 (next to be
held 11 March 2007); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA reelected
for a third term with 60.8% of the vote

Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh
(56 seats; a portion of seats up for election every two years;
members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms) and
the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (95 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 9 and 16 April 2004 (next to be held
21 January 2007); National Assembly - last held 19 November and 3
December 2006
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats
by party - CFCD 41 (including RFD 16, United Forces for Progress
(UDP) 9, APP 5, Islamists 5, HATEM-PMUC 3, RD 2, FP 1), RNI
(coalition of independent candidates) 38, PRDR 7, Union for
Democracy and Progress (UDP) 3, RDU 3, Alternative (Al-Badil) 1,
RNDLE 1, UCD 1

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

Political parties and leaders:
Alternative or Al-Badil; Coalition for Forces for Democratic Change
or CFCD (coalition of political parties including RFD, United Forces
of Progress or UDP, APP, Islamists, HATEM-PMUC, RD, UDC); Democratic
Renewal or RD; Islamists (Centrist Reformists); Mauritanian Party
for Unity and Change or HATEM-PMUC; 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 (formerly ruling
Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS) [Boullah Ould
MOGUEYA]; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint
MOUKNASS]; Union of Democratic Centre or UCD

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; 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 gen