Presidential elections were held in

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

on 7 November 2003. As expected, incumbent President

Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya Mu'awiya Ould Sid'Ahmed al-Taya (born 28 November 1941) is a Mauritanian military officer and politician who served as the President of Mauritania from 1984 to 2005. He also served as the fifth Prime minister of Mauritania from 1981 to 19 ...

was easily re-elected against weak opposition. The opposition alleged

election fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share o ...

, and Ould Taya's main challenger, former military ruler

Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla Colonel Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla ( ''Muḥammad Khouna Wald Haidalla''; born 1940) is a Mauritanian former military officer and politician who served as the head of state of Mauritania from 4 January 1980 to 12 December 1984. He was an ...

(the man who Ould Taya ousted when he seized power in December 1984), was arrested both immediately before and after the vote. The elections saw two notable firsts; Aicha Bint Jeddane was the country's first female presidential candidate, and

Messaoud Ould Boulkheir Messaoud Ould Boulkheir (; born 1943) is a political figure from Mauritania and a leader in the Haratine community. Messaoud also contributed towards the end of the 1989 events in Mauritania, protecting the right of the victims and the emancipa ...

was the first descendant of slaves to run for the office. The elections took place a few months after a violent unsuccessful coup attempt in June 2003. Ould Taya was overthrown in a coup two years later, in August 2005.

Results

References

Presidential elections in Mauritania

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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