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Article 25
The President of the Republic exercises the executive power. He presides over the Council of
Ministers.
Article 26
The President of the Republic is elected for five years by universal direct suffrage. He is elected with
the absolute majority of the suffrage expressed. If this is not obtained in the first round of the ballot
by one of the candidates, it proceeds to a second round two weeks later. Only the two candidates
who, remaining in competition, received the greatest number of votes in the first round, may present
themselves.
Every citizen born Mauritanian enjoying their civil and political rights and at least forty (40) years old,
and at most seventy five (75) years old, at the date of the first round of the election[,] is eligible to the
Presidency of the Republic.
The ballot is opened at the convocation of the President of the Republic.
The election of the new President of the Republic takes place thirty (30) days at least and forty five
(45) days at most before the expiration of the mandate of the President in office.
The conditions and forms of acceptance of the candidature as well as the rules related to the death or
the impediment of the candidates to the Presidency of the Republic are determined by an organic law.
The dossiers of the candidatures are received by the Constitutional Council which rules on their
regularity and proclaims the results of the ballot.
Article 27
The mandate of President of the Republic is incompatible with the exercise of any public or private
function and with belonging to the directive instances of a political party.
Article 28
The President of the Republic is re-eligible one sole time.
Article 29
The President of the Republic newly elected enters his functions at the expiration of the mandate of
his predecessor. Before entering into [his] function, the President of the Republic takes an oath in
these terms:
"I swear by Allah the Unique to well and faithfully perform my functions, respecting the Constitution
and the laws, to watch over the interest of the Mauritanian People, to safeguard the independence
and the sovereignty of the country, the unity of the fatherland and the integrity of the national
territory.
I swear by Allah the Unique, not to take or support at all, directly or indirectly, an initiative that could
lead to the revision of constitutional provisions related to the duration of the presidential mandate
and to the regime of its renewal, specified in Articles 26 and 28 of this Constitution.”
The oath is taken before the Constitutional Council, in the presence of the Bureau of the National
Assembly, of the Bureau of the Senate, of the President of the Supreme Court and of the President of
the High Islamic Council.
Article 30
The President of the Republic determines and conducts the foreign policy of the Nation, as well as its
policy of defense and of security.
He appoints the Prime Minister and terminates his functions.
Mauritania 1991 (rev. 2012)
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