SHARECountry Data
Mauritania (Islamic Republic of Mauritania) has a Unicameral parliament with legislated quotas for the single/lower house and at the sub-national level. 31 of 153 (20%) seats in the Al Jamiya-Al-Wataniya / National Assembly are held by women.
At a glance
Structure of Parliament: Unicameral
Are there legislated quotas...
- For the Single/Lower House? Yes
- For the Sub-National Level? Yes
Are there voluntary quotas...
- Adopted by political parties? No
Is there additional information?...
- Yes
Last updated: Apr 4, 2022
Single/Lower House
Al Jamiya-Al-Wataniya / National Assembly
| Total seats | 153 |
| Total Women | 31 |
| % Women | 20% |
| Election Year | 2018 |
| Electoral System | Parallel |
| Quota Type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | In constituencies with or less than 31,000 inhabitants, one deputy is elected by absolute majority (two-round system). In constituencies with more than 31,000 inhabitants, two deputies are elected by absolute majority (two-round system). In multi-member constituencies with more than 90,000 inhabitants, deputies shall be elected through proportional representation. Reserved Seats: 18 deputies are elected from the constituency of Nouakchott, twenty deputies are elected from a single nationwide constituency and twenty seats are reserved for women candidates running in a single nationwide list. (Article 3 of the Organic Law on the Election of Members of the National Assembly, as amended by Law n° 2012- 029). |
|
| Political funding legislation | Political parties that elect more women than required by the quota will obtain a financial benefit (Article 6). | |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | The electoral administration may reject candidate lists that do not comply with the quota regulations (Article 16 (1)). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | ‘In constituencies with three seats, candidate lists must include at least one woman candidate in the first or second position on the list. In constituencies with more than three seats, with the exception of the national women's list, each candidate list must be composed of candidates of both sexes in alternating order, taking into account the following two principles: - Within each entire group of four candidates, in the order of presentation of the list, there must be an equal number of candidates of each sex; - The difference between the number of candidates of each sex can not be greater than one.’ (Article 4 (A)of the Organic Law Promoting Women's Access to Electoral Mandates and Elective Offices, as amended by Law 2012-034). |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
- Quota type: Reserved seats
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | Women shall be allocated at least 20% of the seats on municipal councils. In order to facilitate the election of women in the indicated proportion, party lists must include at least 2 women candidates for councils comprising between 9 and 11 members, 3 women candidates for councils comprising between 15 and 17 members, and 4 women candidates for councils comprising 19 members or more (Articles 2 and 3 of the Organic Law). |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Organic Law promoting women's access to electoral mandates and elective offices | The electoral administration shall reject candidate lists that do not comply with the quota regulations (Article 3 (1) of the Organic Law promoting women's access to electoral mandates and elective offices, as amended by Law 2012- 034). |
| Rank order/placement rules | EMB Act | In election for municipal councils with 9-11 councillors, women candidates must be placed as No. 1 and 4, or 2 and 4 of the list of each party. When the council has 15-17 councillors, women candidates must be placed as No. 1 or 2, and subsequently as No. 5 and 7. In case of 19 or more councillors, women must be placed as No. 1 or 2, and subsequently as No. 5, 7 and 9. (Communication of the CENI on the composition of the lists of candidates for the 2013 elections) |
Additional Information
In the National Assembly, 106 members are elected in single- and multi-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms and 40 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms. Out of the 40 seats elected through the closed-list PR system, 20 seats are reserved for women. In 2009, a quota of 20 % of seats were reserved for women in municipal councils (IFES Election Guide 2018; Make Every Woman Count 2019).
In the 2018 election, 31 women were elected to the National Assembly.
The percentage of women is calculated from the current number of seats occupied in the parliament. The National Assembly has 157 statutory seats.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Ordonnance no 2006-029 du 22 aout 2006 portant loi organique relative à la promotion de l’accès des femmes aux mandats électoraux et aux fonctions électives
- Lois électorales (2012)
- Commission Électorale Nationale Independante (CENI)
OTHER SOURCES:
- Interparliamentary Union [IPU] Parline - Mauritania Country Profile
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Mauritania on iKNOW Politics
- Arendt, C. (2018). From Critical Mass to Critical Leaders: Unpacking the Political Conditions behind Gender Quotas in Africa. Politics & Gender, 14(3), 295-322. doi:10.1017/S1743923X17000502
- Global Citizen. (2015). In Mauritania, women take charge of their own lives.