Mauritania

Elections for representatives in the local, regional, and national legislative bodies were held in Mauritania on 13 and 27 May. At the national level, the party of the President (rebranded for this election as the Equity Party) won a strong majority with 107 of the 176 seats in the National Assembly. The legislature includes 20 seats elected through a special list for women, and with the addition of women who won seats in the general list and in single member districts, the new legislature will be 24.2 per cent women, which is almost unchanged from the previous legislature. The ruling party was also successful in the local and regional elections, winning control of all 13 regional councils and a majority of the local councils. However, six opposition parties have demanded that the results of the election from a number of locations (most notably in the capital of Nouakchott) be rejected due to what they have called ‘tampering’ with the vote. Turnout at the national level was 71.6 per cent of registered voters, very slightly down from the last election (72.5 per cent).

Elections

Souvi Ould Jibril Ould Cheine, a well-known human rights activist and representative of the Haratine community (descendants of former slaves), was taken into police custody on the night of 9 February. He died in hospital hours later. An autopsy found that the cause of death was a neck fracture and strangulation, and his family has alleged that he was tortured. News of Chein’s death was met with large protests that were broken up by riot police. Eight people have been charged in connection with Chein’s death. Included among those charged are four security officials (including the police commissioner for the station where Chein was detained) who have been charged with crimes that include torture and premeditated murder. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has called upon the government of Mauritania to ensure that those responsible for his death are brought to justice.

Protests Police violence