Speech of His Excellency the President of the Republic during his participation in the Democracy Summit

on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Mauritania, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, delivered a Speech on the sidelines of the Democratic Summit held in Washington via video technology.

During his speech on the occasion, His Excellency stressed that Mauritania has made and is making great efforts to consolidate democracy, promote human rights and consolidate the foundations of the rule of law and institutions, In a calm atmosphere of openness and consultation, with all political and social actors, highlighting that “Our country is preparing, in the middle of this year, to organize parliamentary and local elections, and we are working to ensure that this election be fair and transparent, and be conducted in an atmosphere of freedom and responsible competition.”

The following is the entire text of the speech:

In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, prayers be upon the most honorable messenger.

Your Excellency Mr. Joe Biden, President of the United States of America,

Excellencies, Heads of State and Governments,

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to express to you my pleasure to participate in the second edition of the Summit for Democracy. I am grateful to His Excellency President Joe Biden, for his generous invitation and tireless endeavor to promote and develop democracy continuously. For a democracy that is resilient in face of corruption and tyranny, protect the rule of law and freedoms, preserve human rights, and consolidate the principles of good governance along with what it requires of oversight and accountability.

Ladies and Gentlemen;

Democracy, with what it guarantees of freedom and rights, the equality it provides before the law, and the participation it guarantees in the management of public affairs, it sets free the potential of people and unleashes their creativity, in fact creating the appropriate conditions for development, and growth, under security and stability.

Convinced of this, we have made, and continue to make, in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, great efforts to consolidate democracy, promote human rights, and reinforce the foundations of the rule of law and institutions, in a calm atmosphere of openness and consultation, with all political and social actors.

In this context, our country is preparing, in the middle of this year, to organize parliamentary and local elections. We are working to ensure that they are fair and transparent, and that they take place in an atmosphere of freedom and fair competition. Therefore, we have been preparing to develop our electoral system and raise the level of proportionality, in order to expand the base of representation, in support of the inclusion of all, as well as by creating an electoral list that ensures better representation of youth and people with special needs, to be added to another list for women, in support of gender equality.

In order to strengthen individual and collective freedom, we have for example approved the permit system instead of prior authorization for civil society and associations.

We have also set ambitious programs to combat poverty, various forms of discrimination and exploitation of human beings.

This is in parallel with our comprehensive war against both administrative and financial corruption, by activating monitoring-and-inspection agencies, in order to consolidate the principle of accountability and the rules of good governance.

Here, I can only praise the support we receive, in these various aspects, from the United States within the framework of its programs set for this purpose.

 Ladies and Gentlemen;

Democracy in political systems is not a permanent form of governance, but a work in progress that requires continuous development and uninterrupted preservation. Therefore, initiatives such as this summit are of great importance and contribution, in promoting awareness to democracy and defending its different values, such as freedom, human rights, equality, good governance, and others.

While I renew my thanks for the opportunity offered to me to participate in this summit, I wish success to its different sessions.

Thank you,

Peace and God’s mercy be upon you.