Mauritanian presidential election, 1997
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Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
DSRP
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
DSRP
Presidential elections were held in Mauritania on 12 December 1997. Incumbent President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya won the election with 91% of the vote. Voter turnout was 74.7%.
President Taya came to power in a coup d'état in 1984 and ruled Mauritania as one-party state for the next 8 years. Under the 1991 constitution multi-party democracy was introduced with Taya being elected with 62% of the vote in the 1992 presidential election.
However the opposition alleged that the 1992 election had been fraudulent and the main opposition groups in Mauritania boycotted the 1997 election as they said it would not be a fair contest with, for instance, the electoral commission not being independent.
The campaign began on 27 November with President Taya the clear favourite. Taya focused on the performance of the economy and reinforcing democracy during his campaign. Taya was backed by the Mouvance Presidentielle, which included the Rally for Democracy and Unity (RDU) and a faction of the Union of Democratic Forces.
Four candidates challenged Taya including, Kane Amadou Moctar, the first black African to run for president in a country that had been dominated politically by Moors since independence. Moctar was a former hospital administrator who pledged to oppose slavery and establish a new policy of fisheries.Chbih Ould Cheikh Malainine was a former cabinet minister who had quit the RDU to form his own party and campaigned to eliminate slavery.
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