Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Mauritania has had nine heads of state, excluding one acting president.
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz served twice, in non-consecutive terms. However, the current president is Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who took office on August 1, 2019.
Presently, Mauritania’s constitution limits presidents to two terms. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was the first to follow this limit, completing his second term in 2019.
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List Of Mauritania Presidents From 1960 Till Date
Name | Took office | Left office | Political party |
|---|---|---|---|
Moktar Ould Daddah | 28 November 1960 | 10 July 1978 (Deposed in a coup) | PRM / PPM |
Mustafa Ould Salek | 10 July 1978 | 3 June 1979 (Resigned) | Military |
Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly | 3 June 1979 | 4 January 1980 (Deposed in a coup) | Military |
Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla | 4 January 1980 | 12 December 1984 (Deposed in a coup) | Military |
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya | 12 December 1984 | 3 August 2005 (Deposed in a coup) | Military / PRDS |
Ely Ould Mohamed Vall | 3 August 2005 | 19 April 2007 | Military (Sûreté Nationale) |
Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi | 19 April 2007 | 6 August 2008 (Deposed in a coup) | Independent |
Ba Mamadou Mbaré (Acting President) | 15 April 2009 | 5 August 2009 | Independent |
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz | 5 August 2009 | 1 August 2019 | UPR |
Mohamed Ould Ghazouani | 1 August 2019 | Incumbent | UPR |
Who Was The First President Of Mauritania?
Moktar Ould Daddah, born on December 25, 1924, in Boutilimit, Mauritania was the first president of Mauritania. He’s a Muslim scholar and political leader. Moktar Ould Daddah first attended a Qur’anic school and later a bilingual school.
Daddah finished his high school education in Senegal and became the first Mauritanian to graduate from university in France, where he earned a law degree. However, he started working in local government in the 1950s to begin his political career.
In 1957, he was elected to the Territorial Assembly, which was set up by France to help Mauritania prepare for independence.
By 1958, he became the Chairman of the Executive Council. The next year, he became the Prime Minister of Mauritania. His leadership played a big part in Mauritania gaining independence from France on November 28, 1960.
After independence, he was elected as the country’s first president in 1961 after winning the election without any opposition.
During his time as president, Daddah tried to bring together Mauritania’s diverse people. Mauritania had many different groups, including White Muslims, Black Muslims, and Black Christians. He initially tried to make sure all these groups had a fair share of power.
However, in 1964, Daddah established a one-party system under the Mauritanian People’s Party (PPM), and his government became more authoritarian.
He focused on “Islamic socialism,” which meant that the government took control of many businesses. His presidency faced problems such as economic reliance on foreign aid and struggles with ethnic divisions.
Still, Daddah was re-elected in 1966, 1971, and 1976. A major challenge for Daddah came in the mid-1970s when Mauritania got involved in the Western Sahara conflict.
In 1975, Mauritania sent troops to take over parts of Western Sahara, which led to fighting with the Polisario Front. The war became very unpopular and drained the country’s resources.
This, along with other problems, led to a military coup on July 10, 1978, which removed Daddah from power. After his removal, he was imprisoned but later went into exile in France.
Daddah came back to Mauritania in 2001, after spending many years in exile. He stayed politically active until his health started to fail.
Sadly, he passed away on October 14, 2003, in Paris after a long illness. His body was returned to Mauritania, where he was buried.
READ ALSO: Complete List Of Mauritius Presidents From 1992 Till Date
Who Is The Current President Of Mauritania?
The current president of Mauritania is Mohamed Ould Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed Ould Ghazouani, often called Ghazouani.
He has been the president since August 1, 2019. Ghazouani was born on December 4, 1956, in Boumdeid, Mauritania.
He started his military service in the late 1970s and worked his way up through various positions. Ghazouani was the chief of staff of the Mauritanian Armed Forces from 2008 to 2018.
Ghazouani participated in two military coups, first in 2005 and again in 2008, which led to the removal of sitting presidents.
After these events, he held high-ranking military positions, serving as the Minister of Defense from 2018 until he ran for president. In 2019, he ran for the presidency and won with 52.01% of the vote.
His election was seen as a peaceful transition of power, which had not happened before in Mauritania’s history since it gained independence.
His presidency promoted national security and tackled terrorism, especially as the region around Mauritania faces threats from extremist groups.
Under Ghazouani’s leadership, Mauritania has been relatively safe, with no major attacks occurring on Mauritanian soil since he took office.
He has also improved governance, fighting corruption, and making economic reforms. He is known for prioritizing youth involvement in politics, as many Mauritanians are under 35 years old. In January 2025, Ghazouani was re-elected for a second term, winning 56.12% of the vote.
His main opponent, Biram Dah Abeid, challenged the election results, claiming fraud, but Ghazouani’s victory still strengthens his position as a stabilizing leader for the country. Ghazouani has pledged to invest in renewable energy and expand the mining industry in Mauritania.
However, his presidency has faced some challenges, such as tensions with the former president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, over allegations of financial corruption.
