Who runs local government in Mauritania?
Mauritania has two levels of elected local government: 13 regions created in 2018 and about 219 communes. Regional councils, their presidents, municipal councils and mayors are all chosen by voters. Alongside them, a strong state chain of appointed walis (governors), hakems (prefects) and district heads runs administration. Tribes, religious scholars and descent-based social groups remain very influential, but have no formal role in law.
Islamic Republic of Mauritania · Unitary presidential Islamic republic · Western Africa
The levels of government below the nation
| Level | How it is chosen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Regions (13, matching the wilayas; Nouakchott region covers 3 wilayas) | Regional council (11–25 members; 37 in Nouakchott) and its president elected by voters for five years | Regional development; created by Organic Law 2018-010. |
| Wilayas (15), moughataas (63) and districts | Wali, hakem and district head appointed by the Council of Ministers | State administration and oversight of local authorities. |
| Communes (about 219) | Municipal council (9–21 members) and mayor elected by voters for five years | Local services: civil registration, markets, primary schools, sanitation. |
Three questions about local power in Mauritania
Are local leaders elected?
Regional councils and presidents, municipal councils and mayors are elected (most recently in May 2023). Walis, hakems and district heads are appointed.
Which laws set up local government?
Communes (since 1987) and regions (since 2018) are in law. Tribal and religious authority works through custom and social standing only.
Who are local leaders accountable to?
Voters; the Ministry of the Interior and appointed walis, who oversee local authorities; courts.
Traditional and customary authority
Mauritania has no legally recognised chiefs. Tribes and tribal leaders still play an important part in politics and in organising support for candidates, and Islamic scholars (ulama) and imams have strong moral authority; Islamic law is a main source of law. Society has long-standing hierarchies based on descent, including the legacy of slavery, which was abolished in 1981 and made a crime by later laws. None of these groups holds formal local office.
Community and neighbourhood power
Neighbourhood committees and village cooperatives exist, and communes may join an Association of Mayors. In rural areas, tribal and family networks organise much self-help, water management and dispute settlement.
Points to know
- Before 2018 the commune was the only elected local authority; regions were added after a 2017 constitutional referendum that also abolished the Senate.
- Nouakchott's regional council replaced the former Urban Community of Nouakchott.
- An equalisation fund that communes must pay into has never actually been capitalised, according to the OECD–UCLG observatory.
Local terms
- Wali
- Governor of a wilaya, appointed by the government.
- Hakem
- Prefect of a moughataa (department).
- Moughataa
- A department, the level below the wilaya.
Sources
- Constitution of Mauritania 1991 (rev. 2012), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
- Mauritania: country profile (subnational government structure and finance, 2022 edition), OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
See also: Mauritania's official statistics and leaders · the 10 levels of power.