Civil society and democratic transformation in Mauritania: the paradigm of transition and the antecedents of political change

ABSTRACT

Mauritania is among the poorest of the world’s nations due, in good measure, to its itinerant Bedouin population that has moved gradually towards urbanization in accordance with the new world order. The country has undergone extensive transformation in the face of international pressure and influence that were brought to bear on it, and their effects have affected the process of transformation, especially those pertaining to the acknowledgement of human rights and freedoms of citizens. The democratic transformation of Mauritania has to be understood in the context of factors interplaying between the social and cultural spheres, in particular the tribal nature of Mauritanian society which, in a de facto sense, designs the roadmap for action on the basis of the citizen’s perpetual tribal affiliation and belonging, as well as the interaction between economic and political reform conforming to economic demands. This study clarifies the democratic transformation that has taken place in Mauritania through particular phases. Although the transformation did not necessarily bring about change in the prevailing political modus operandi of the state, it did, nonetheless, change the balance of the ‘powers that be’ in favour of reform. The latter arose through the role played by political parties that enabled the development of civil society and the possibility for political reforms in future. The study analyses the Mauritanian experience with regard to the success of civil society institutions in furthering their goal of complete reciprocity between the people and their members,  and in placing these issues at the heart of the discussion and achieving pioneering successes.

KEYWORDS:

• Mauritania Bedouin society
• Mauritanian political reform
• Mauritanian economic development
• democratic transformation of Mauritania

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 On 12 December 1984, Taya led a bloodless military coup that brought about the ouster of then president Muhammad Khunah Oud Haydallah. After years of his remaining in power, Mauritania announced in December 1991 the inception of a system of political pluralism and, according to its dictates, undertook the first presidential elections in December 1992. Taya won the elections with 62.65% of the vote, and he was re-elected in December 1997 to be, once again, victorious in the elections held in November 2003 with 66.69% of the electoral vote. This last election, however, occurred after a failed coup attempt in the preceding June, and the opposition considered the elections to be void, demanding new ones on the grounds that election fraud had been perpetrated. Taya ruled the country for 21 years in a multi-party system that was closer to one of a single party, through the Republican Social-Democratic Party that remained the most powerful party even after Taya's fall. The last term of Taya's office witnessed an economic turnaround that was topped off with the discovery of oil and the cancellation of debts of the masses at large. During his tenure, Taya also established diplomatic relations with Israel for the first time, and was exposed to a number of attempts to shake up his regime, resulting in the arrest of some of the members of the opposition, especially among black Africans, during the 1980s. He also clashed with the Islamic front led by Muhammad al-Hasan Ould al-Dudu, and especially in the last years, and he managed to survive two failed coup attempts against him in 2003 and 2004. Taya's luck ran out ultimately with the third coup led by his brother-in-arms and head of security, Colonel Ali Ould Muhammad Faal.

2 ‘The Mauritanian Political System and the Problematic of Democratic Transition’. Available at: http://www.al-khabar.info/------_a2571.html.

3 The information compiled by Amnesty International during the course of its visits to the country since 2008 affirmed the routine use of torture by the security forces against persons detained for political reasons or ordinary crimes. Typically torture is used during the presence of detainees at checkpoints or immediately after their arrest. Despite strict regulations for procedure of incarceration, witnesses interviewed by Amnesty International attest to lack of respect for the rights of prisoners. In at least one event the court decreed that ‘confessions obtained under torture or duress may be admitted as evidence, even if those who confessed while they were subjected to it retract their statements later on’. A work group affiliated to the United Nations concerned with random arrests reported its concerns over the loss of the attorney general to control the acts of the police and the circumstances of those incarcerated (Amnesty International 2009).

4 Mauritania is counted as one of the most depressed countries in the world due to its excessive external debt. These debts have nearly doubled over 11 years, rising from US$844 million in 1980 to US$2.299 billion in 1991. The economy remains crippled by a traditional infrastructure, with export revenues coming chiefly from the agricultural sector and accounting for 46% of the revenue, followed by the mining sector with 30%, according to 1988 figures. Moreover, the mining sector was hit by a recession given that, during the 1960s, it accounted for 25% of GDP but as of the 1980s it accounted for only 17%. The crisis of external trade balances raised Mauritanian external debt to its highest limits. Prices of basic commodities spiralled out of control as a result of IMF-imposed stringency measures and the people took to the streets to demonstrate, leading the government to call out the army and detain the leadership of the political parties.

5 ‘The Mauritanian Political System and the Problematic of Democratic Transformation’, http://www.al-khabar.info/------_a2571.html.

6 The Constitution of the Mauritanian Islamic Republic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Mauritania.