The

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (; SADR; also romanized with Saharawi; ar, الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية ' es, República Árabe Saharaui Democrática), also known as Western Sahara, is a ...

(SADR) claims the

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...

, a territory largely administered by

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

since

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

abandoned it in 1975. The

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

over Western Sahara is unresolved: the territory is contested by Morocco and

Polisario Front The Polisario Front, Frente Polisario, Frelisario or simply Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro), (in ar, rtl=yes, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الس� ...

(Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the SADR. The

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

, which considers Western Sahara a non-

decolonized Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on independence ...

territory, is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue through the mission

Minurso The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara ( ar, بعثة الأمم المتحدة لتنظيم استفتاء في الصحراء الغربية; french: Mission des Nations Unies pour l'Organisation d'un Référendum au ...

. The UN-administered cease-fire had been in effect September 1991- November 2020. The SADR elects a legislature, the

Sahrawi National Council The Sahrawi National Council (SNC) or Sahrawi Parliament is the legislature of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Its structure and competences are guided by the Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The present speaker ...

(SNC), on a national level. The SNC, which is also referred to as the republic's parliament, has 51 members, elected after the General Popular Congress (GPC) of the Polisario Front. The

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

for the Sahrawi National Council took place between 19 February and 21 February 2012, with

Khatri Addouh Khatri Addouh (born 1954) ( ar, خطري أدوه) is a former president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and the president of the Sahrawi National Council from 2010 to 2020. He was appointed as the Acting President and the Secretary Gener ...

being reelected Speaker of the Council on 28 February. Elections take place within the framework of the Polisario Front, candidates are elected individually and no other political parties are allowed. The 13th GPC was held in

Tifariti Tifariti (Berber: Tifariti, ar, تيفاريتي) is an oasis town located in north-eastern Western Sahara, east of the Moroccan Berm, from Smara and north of the border with Mauritania. It is part of what Polisario Front calls the '' Liberated ...

in the so-called Free Zone between 15 December and 22 December 2011. The GPC also elects the National Secretariat, an executive organ of the Polisario, and its Secretary-General, who then becomes President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Present Secretary-General is Brahim Gali. Local and regional officials, and delegates to the GPC, are elected at biannual Popular Congresses (or Popular Base Congresses) in the

refugee camps in Tindouf Province, Algeria The Sahrawi refugee camps (also romanized with Saharawi) in Tindouf, Algeria, are a collection of refugee camps set up in the Tindouf Province, Algeria in 1975–76 for Sahrawi refugees fleeing from Moroccan forces, who advanced through Wester ...

. The constitution of the SADR, proclaimed in 1976 and last amended in 1996, stipulates that the above-described system is an emergency mechanism. If the objective of the creation of an independent Western Saharan state is attained, a transformational period defined in the constitution will begin, ending with the installment of a multi-party system on European parliamentary lines. The Polisario will then be dissolved or transformed into an ordinary political party.

References

{{Africa in topic, Elections in Politics of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

See also

References