The Popular Front ( French: ''Front Populaire'') is a small

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

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, ...

. The party was founded in 1998 based on a platform committed to the establishment of a civil state, access of all political parties to the media, the separation of the Mauritanian State and the

Democratic and Social Republican Party The Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal (; , PRDR) was a political party in Mauritania. Formerly known as the Democratic and Social Republican Party, (, PRDS) the party changed its identity and adjusted its political stance after the 200 ...

(PRDS) of 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 ...

, and the creation of a national unity government chaired by the opposition. The front was initially mainly distinguished by its policy of non-participation in elections under the Ould Taya Government. Party leader Mohamed Lemine Ch'bih Ould Cheikh Melainine was arrested on 8 April 2001 along with two other party members, Mukhtar Ould Haibetna and Bouba Ould Hassan, on grounds of conspiracy to commit acts of sabotage and terrorism in

. The Mauritanian Government alleged the trio to have been acting in collusion with the

Libyan Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. All figures are from the United Nations Demographic Yearbooks ...

Government of

Muammar al-Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until his assassination by Libyan rebel forces in 2011. He came to power ...

. The three were tried in a criminal court some 850 kilometers from

Nouakchott Nouakchott ( ) is the capital and largest city of Mauritania. Located in the southwestern part of the country, it is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. The city also serves as the administrative and economic center of Mauritania. Once a ...

, and each of the accused received a sentence of five-years imprisonment. The sentence was met with surprise from many observers, who had expected the three to be acquitted. The defense team argued that the trial was deeply flawed, and that the confessions from their clients had been obtained as a result of an interrogation during which they had been possibly "drugged" by the Mauritanian police. The party went on to contest the

legislative elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

in October 2001, winning one seat in the National Assembly. Following the removal of

from Office in August 2005, the party competed in the

2006 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2006. * Elections in 2006 * Electoral calendar 2006 * 2006 Acehnese regional election * 2006 American Samoan legislative election * 2006 Bahraini parliamentary election * 2006 Costa Rican presidential e ...

, winning 1 out of 95 seats. As of 2023, the Popular Front has no representation in the

Mauritanian Parliament The Mauritanian Parliament (; ) is composed of a single chamber, the National Assembly. Composed of 176 members, representatives are elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies. Until August 2017, the parliament had an upper ho ...

, the party currently has zero seats.

External links

Official web site

References

Political parties in Mauritania Political parties established in 1998 1998 establishments in Mauritania {{Mauritania-party-stub