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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Mauritania
Index
Chinese-built sports stadium in Nouakchott
Courtesy Derwood Staeben
The political crisis in France that saw the birth of the
French Fifth Republic in 1958 necessitated a new French
constitution. Also adopted by the people of Mauritania in a
referendum in September 1958, this new constitution provided for
a French Community whose members would be autonomous republics.
But status as an autonomous member of the French Community
quickly lost its appeal as Mauritania witnessed the wave of
nationalism sweeping the African continent. As soon as the
Islamic Republic of Mauritania was proclaimed in October 1958,
the Territorial Assembly changed its name to the Constituent
Assembly and immediately initiated work to draft a national
constitution; the document was unanimously adopted by the
Constituent Assembly in March 1959 in place of the French
constitution, and on November 28, 1960, Mauritania declared its
independence.
The molding of a new political entity was a challenge in a
country in which the gradual breakdown of a well-entrenched
tribal hierarchy and its authority was still under way. Also,
Mauritania's predominantly nomadic society did not lend itself to
the establishment of administrative agencies; consequently,
numerous political parties formed around those leaders who
already exercised tribal authority. Most of the population, who
observed democratic nomadic traditions--in which influence did
not always pass directly from father to son, land was not owned
by individuals, and material wealth was widely distributed rather
than concentrated in a few hands--eventually accepted a
centralized government.
With the advent of independence, party leaders recognized the
need to consolidate to ensure the establishment of a strong and
independent government that also represented Mauritania's
regional and ethnic diversity. Consequently, there was a tendency
on the part of some to try to put aside their differences. Daddah
was able gradually to gain the support of numerous opposition
parties because of his demonstrated willingness to include in his
government those who previously had opposed him. Thus, even after
Daddah charged Nahda with corruption, banned the party from
participation in the elections to Mauritania's first National
Assembly in May 1959, declared the party illegal, and placed five
of its leaders under arrest, Nahda still responded to Daddah's
urgent appeal to preserve unity and independence.
In a new election, held in accordance with provisions of the
new constitution in August 1961, Nahda campaigned for Daddah, who
won the election with the additional support of the black party,
the Mauritanian National Union. The new government formed in
September 1961 included representatives of both Nahda and the
Mauritanian National Union in important ministries. This
electoral, then governmental, coalition was formalized in October
1961 with the consolidation of the Mauritanian Regroupment Party,
Nahda, the Mauritanian National Union, and the Mauritanian Muslim
Socialist Union into the Mauritanian People's Party (Parti du
Peuple Mauritanienne--PPM). On December 25, 1961, the PPM was
constituted as the sole legal party. Its policies included a
foreign policy of nonalignment and opposition to ties with
France.
In accordance with the new government's objective of
acquiring support from blacks, Daddah included two blacks in his
cabinet. Also, the National Assembly, headed by a black,
comprised ten blacks and twenty Maures. As a final development in
the emergence of a dominant single party, Daddah, the party's
secretary general, further concentrated power in his hands. The
PPM proclaimed Mauritania a one-party state in 1964, and the
National Assembly passed a constitutional amendment in 1965 that
institutionalized the PPM as the single legal party in the state.
Organized opposition was henceforth restricted to channels within
the party.
Data as of June 1988
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