Legal system: a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA
(since 12 December 1984) head of government: Prime Minister Cheikh El
Avia Ould Mohamed
Council of Ministers elections: held 12 December 1997 (next to be held
NA December 2003); prime minister
appointed by the president election results: President Maaouya Ould Sid
Ahmed TAYA reelected with 90.9% of the vote

Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or
Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats, a part of the 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 (81 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held
17 April 1998 (next to be held NA April 2002); National Assembly - last
held 19 and 26 October 2001 (next to be held NA 2006) election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - PRDS 98%, others 2%; seats by party
- PRDS 56; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - PRDS 79%,
RDU 3.5%, UDP 3.5%, AC 5%, RDF 4%, UFP 3.5%, FP 1.5%; seats by party -
PRDS 64, UDP 3, RDU 3, AC 4, RDF 3, UFP 3,and FP 1

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

Political parties and leaders: Action for Change or AC [Messoud Ould
BOULKHEIR]; Alliance for Justice and Democracy or AJD [Kebe ABDOULAYE];
Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS (ruling party) [President
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 MAOULOUD];
Rally of Democratic Forces or RDF [Ahmed Ould DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy
and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Union for Democracy and Progress
or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS] note: the Action for Change party was banned
in January 2002; parties legalized by constitution ratified 12 July 1991,
however, politics continue to be tribally based

Political pressure groups and leaders: Arab nationali