The Constitution of 20 July 1991, revised in 2006, 2012 and 2017, establishes Mauritania as an Islamic republic. Arabic is the official language; Pulaar, Soninké and Wolof are national languages. The Constitution recognizes popular sovereignty, peaceful alternation of power and rights such as movement, expression, assembly, association and political and trade-union affiliation, subject to limits established by law. Islam is the religion of the State. The President is Head of State, guardian of the Constitution and responsible for executive authority, foreign policy, defence and national security. The presidential mandate lasts five years and is limited to two terms. The Government, led by the Prime Minister, directs State policy, controls the Administration and the Armed Forces, and answers to the Assemblée Nationale. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani is President and Mokhtar Ould Diay is Prime Minister. The Assemblée Nationale is a single-chamber Parliament with 176 deputies elected for five-year mandates. It adopts laws and the budget and exercises oversight through questions, reports, confidence procedures and censure. The Conseil constitutionnel reviews constitutional matters and organic laws; its nine members serve non-renewable nine-year mandates. The Cour Suprême is the highest judicial body, and the Constitution provides for an independent judicial power. Mauritania has no federal layer. Territorial administration is organized through 15 wilayas, 63 moughataas and 218 communes. A wilaya is administered by a wali, a moughataa by a hakem, and a commune by a mayor and elected municipal council. Régions and communes are collectivités territoriales administered through elected councils. The Ministry of the Interior, de la Promotion de la Décentralisation et du Développement Local and the DGAT supervise territorial administration, legality control, déconcentration, borders and related authority personnel. Nouakchott is divided into three wilayas. Older official documents may still show 61 moughataas, while the current DGAT dashboard records 63. Public administration includes central ministries, territorial authorities and public establishments. Law 93-09, amended by Law 2024-047, provides the civil-service framework. Administrative procedures may use a service counter, a territorial authority, a ministry portal or a digital platform. Houwiyeti provides biometric identity services, while e-visa services and a national digital addressing project support digital administration. Unresolved disputes with public administration may be submitted to the Haut Conseil de la Fatwa et des Recours gracieux, whose recommendations do not replace court proceedings. The CNDH also receives complaints concerning human rights. The Ministry of Finance prepares the annual budget, which the Assemblée Nationale votes. The budget must be submitted no later than the first Monday of November. The Assembly has 60 days for its decision; after a failed process, the Government may resubmit within 15 days and the Assembly then has eight days. The 2026 supplementary budget lists resources of MRU 139,519,529,564.63, charges of MRU 140,338,212,629 and a financing gap of MRU 818,683,064.37. Public procurement is regulated through the ARMP and the national procurement portal. The Cour des Comptes audits public finances, while the Inspection Générale d’État, the Autorité Nationale de Lutte contre la Corruption, Parliament and the CNDH provide additional oversight. Their findings, recommendations and decisions have different legal effects. The President determines defence and security policy. The security system includes the Armed Forces, Gendarmerie Nationale, Police Nationale, Garde Nationale and Protection Civile. These bodies cover territorial defence, public order, border and maritime-zone surveillance, disaster response and related security duties. The Conseil Supérieur de Défense et de Sécurité Nationale coordinates at the national level. Rules on identity, residence, borders, lawful orders and cooperation with security bodies depend on the specific service and situation. The right to strike is regulated and does not extend in the same way to defence, security and vital public services.
State in Mauritania
Mauritania is an indivisible, democratic and social republic governed by the Constitution. The President leads the executive, foreign affairs, defence and security policy, while the Government directs public administration and is accountable to the Assemblée Nationale. State functions operate through national institutions, territorial authorities, courts, public services and security bodies.
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