1961 Mauritanian presidential election

none Mauritania 1959 1961 08 20 presidential 1966 Mauritanian presidential election 1966 50%+ 397,588 93.52% Moktar Ould Daddah.jpg Mokhtar Ould Daddah PRM 370,970 100% Presidential elections were held for the first time in Mauritania on 20 August 1961 to elect the president for the next five years. Moktar Ould Daddah, who had been acting head of state since independence from France in 1960 was the only candidate, and was elected unopposed. Although he was a member of the ruling Mauritanian Regroupment Party, his candidacy was also supported by the Mauritanian National Union.http://africanelections.tripod.com/mr.html Elections in Mauritania African Elections Database 26 November 2016 2 March 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260302115857/https://africanelections.tripod.com/mr.html dead Voter turnout was 94%.Nohlen Dieter Krennerich Michael Thibaut Bernhard 1999 Elections in Africa: A data handbook 594 Oxford University Press 0-19-829645-2 Background Mauritania came under the direct control of the French Colonial Empire during 1933.A Political Chronology of Africa https://books.google.com/books?id=0O86sZdHfHUC&dq=mauritania+elections+1959&pg=PA285 285 Europa Publications Routledge 2003 9781135356668 On 28 November 1958 a constitutional amendment allowed the creation of a transitional Legislative Council, replacing the Territorial Assembly established during the French colonial regime. The country lacked experts to frame the constitution and unanimously accepted the suggestions of a group of French jurists on 22 March 1959.Historical Dictionary of Mauritania Volume 110 of Historical Dictionaries of Africa https://books.google.com/books?id=-KU_9MfXKKYC&dq=mauritania+elections+1959&pg=PA135 134–5 Scarecrow Press 9780810862654 2008 Anthony G. Pazzanita After independence on 28 November 1960 the country declared itself the Islamic Republic of Mauritania with Ould Daddah becoming the first president of the country. During the transitional period, Daddah was successful in orienting different tribal and ethnic divisions in the country. He faced pressure on some of the provinces annexed by the neighboring Morocco under Sultan Mohamed V and sought support from Arab neighbors. He also maintained relations with French government and sought the help to station its troops in Mauritania which would go on until 1966.Encyclopedia of African History 3-Volume Set Kevin Shillington https://books.google.com/books?id=umyHqvAErOAC&dq=Mauritania+presidential+elections+1961&pg=PA959 959 Routledge 2013 9781135456702 Results 200x200px|thumb|Moktar Ould Daddah, the winner of the 1961 Presidential elections Moktar Ould Daddah Mauritanian Regroupment Party 370970 #006233 838 397588 Nohlen et al. Aftermath A constitutional amendment in 1964 declared the nation a one-party state, and during 1965 all parties merged with the ruling Mauritanian Assembly Party to form the Mauritanian People's Party. References External links Mauritania President Category:Presidential elections in Mauritania Category:Single-candidate elections Mauritania