The Most Famous
POLITICIANS from Mauritania
This page contains a list of the greatest Mauritanian Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 19,576 Politicians, 11 of which were born in Mauritania. This makes Mauritania the birth place of the 139th most number of Politicians behind Suriname, and Monaco.
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Mauritanian Politicians of all time. This list of famous Mauritanian Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Mauritanian Politicians.
1. Moktar Ould Daddah (1924 - 2003)
With an HPI of 59.78, Moktar Ould Daddah is the most famous Mauritanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages on wikipedia.
Moktar Ould Daddah (Arabic: مختار ولد داداه, romanized: Mukhtār Wald Dāddāh; December 25, 1924 – October 14, 2003) was a Mauritanian politician who led the country after it gained its independence from France. Moktar served as the country's first Prime Minister from 1957 to 1961 and as its first President of Mauritania, a position he held from 1960 until he was deposed in a military coup d'etat in 1978. He established a one-party state, with his Mauritanian People's Party being the sole legal political entity in the country, and followed a policy of "Islamic socialism" with many nationalizations of private businesses. In his memoirs, Moktar expressed concern that the issue of slavery in Mauritania could lead to armed conflict that would ultimately destroy the country. In foreign affairs, he joined the Non-Aligned Movement and maintained strong links with Mao Zedong and the People's Republic of China, but he also accepted Western (especially French) foreign aid. During his presidency, Mauritania saw conflict with the Polisario Front in Western Sahara after working to broker a deal to divide the territory with Morocco.
2. Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (b. 1956)
With an HPI of 59.07, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani is the 2nd most famous Mauritanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.
Mohamed Ould Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed Ould Ghazouani (Arabic: محمد ولد الشيخ محمد أحمد ولد الغزواني; born 4 December 1956), also known as Ghazouani and Ould Ghazouani, is a Mauritanian politician and retired army general who has served as the 9th President of Mauritania since 2019, and the chairperson of the African Union since February 2024. Ghazouani is a former general-director of National Security and former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of Mauritania (2008–2018). He was defense minister of Mauritania from October 2018 to March 2019. At that time a close ally of his predecessor Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, he was elected president of Mauritania on 22 June 2019 following the 2019 presidential election. His victory in the 2019 presidential election was presented as having been the country's first peaceful transition of power since independence. Ghazouani has overseen a period of relative stability in Mauritania. He has worked to improve social security and combat corruption, including the arrest of his predecessor. Ghazouani also played a crucial role in eliminating jihadist violence, modernizing the military, and engaging with communities and Islamist groups.
3. Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi (1938 - 2020)
With an HPI of 56.78, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi is the 3rd most famous Mauritanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.
Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi (Arabic: سيدي محمد ولد الشيخ عبد الله; 1938 – 22 November 2020) was a Mauritanian politician who was President of Mauritania from 2007 to 2008. He served in the government during the 1970s, and after a long period of absence from politics he won the March 2007 presidential election, taking office on 19 April 2007. He was deposed in a military coup d'état on 6 August 2008.
4. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (b. 1956)
With an HPI of 56.73, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is the 4th most famous Mauritanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 53 different languages.
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (Arabic: محمد ولد عبد العزيز, romanized: Muḥammad Wald 'Abd al-'Azīz; born 20 December 1956) is a retired Mauritanian military officer and politician who served as the 8th President of Mauritania from 2009 to 2019. A career soldier and high-ranking officer, he was a leading figure in the August 2005 coup that ousted President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, and later in August 2008, he led another coup, that removed President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. After the 2008 coup, Mohamed became president of the High Council of State as part of what was described as a political transition leading to a new election. He resigned from that post in April 2009 in order to stand as a candidate in the July 2009 presidential election, which he won. He took office in August 2009. He was subsequently re-elected in 2014, then did not seek re-election in 2019. He was succeeded by Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who assumed office in August 2019. Mohamed also held the role of chairman of the African Union from 2014 to 2015. In June 2021, Mohamed was arrested and detained on charges of corruption. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in December 2023.
5. Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya (b. 1941)
With an HPI of 55.46, Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya is the 5th most famous Mauritanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.
Mu'awiya Ould Sid'Ahmed al-Taya (born 28 November 1941) is a Mauritanian military officer and politician who served as the President of Mauritania from 1984 to 2005. He also served as the fifth Prime minister of Mauritania from 1981 to 1992 except for a brief period in 1984. Born in Atar, French Mauritania, al-Taya studied at Franco-Arab school and then French military school. He participated in the Western Sahara War against the Polisario Front. Al-Taya was appointed Chief of the Army staff in July 1980 and then as Prime minister in April 1981 after an unsuccessful coup attempt against Mohamed Haidalla. Having come to power through a bloodless military coup, he won the 2003 elections and was ousted by a military coup in 2005. During his presidency, he pursued policies of Arab nationalism and deepening ties with the United States. He established close relations with Saddam Hussein of Iraq and had a pro-Iraqi stance on the Gulf War. Mu'awiya al-Taya himself is sometimes termed "Saddam Hussein of Africa".
6. Mustafa Ould Salek (1936 - 2012)
With an HPI of 51.28, Mustafa Ould Salek is the 6th most famous Mauritanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Col. Mustafa Ould Salek (Arabic: المصطفى ولد محمد السالك; 1936 – 18 December 2012) was the president of Mauritania from 1978 to 1979.
7. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall (1953 - 2017)
With an HPI of 50.12, Ely Ould Mohamed Vall is the 7th most famous Mauritanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall (Arabic: إعلي ولد محمد فال I‘lī Wald Muḥammad Fāl; 1953 – 5 May 2017) was a Mauritanian political and military figure. Following a coup d'état in August 2005, he served as the transitional military leader of Mauritania until 19 April 2007, when he relinquished power to an elected government.
8. Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly (1943 - 2019)
With an HPI of 50.08, Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly is the 8th most famous Mauritanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Lt. Col. Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly (Arabic: محمد محمود ولد أحمد لولي; 1 January 1943 – 16 March 2019) was the President of Mauritania and Chairman of the Military Committee for National Salvation (CMSN) from 3 June 1979 to 4 January 1980.
9. Mohamed Ould Bilal (b. 1963)
With an HPI of 47.37, Mohamed Ould Bilal is the 9th most famous Mauritanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.
Mohamed Ould Bilal (Arabic: محمد ولد بلال; born 10 December 1963), is a Mauritanian politician who served as the prime minister of Mauritania from 6 August 2020 to 2 August 2024.
10. Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar (b. 1957)
With an HPI of 43.20, Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar is the 10th most famous Mauritanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar (Arabic: سيدي محمد ولد بوبكر; born on 31 May 1957) is a Mauritanian politician who has been Prime Minister of Mauritania twice, from 1992 to 1996 and again from 2005 to 2007.
People
Pantheon has 12 people classified as Mauritanian politicians born between 1924 and 1963. Of these 12, 7 (58.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Mauritanian politicians include Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, and Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. The most famous deceased Mauritanian politicians include Moktar Ould Daddah, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, and Mustafa Ould Salek. As of April 2024, 1 new Mauritanian politicians have been added to Pantheon including Mohamed Ould Bilal.
Living Mauritanian Politicians
Go to all Rankings
Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
1956 - Present
HPI: 59.07
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
1956 - Present
HPI: 56.73
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
1941 - Present
HPI: 55.46
Mohamed Ould Bilal
1963 - Present
HPI: 47.37
Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar
1957 - Present
HPI: 43.20
Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf
1957 - Present
HPI: 42.84
Yahya Ould Hademine
1953 - Present
HPI: 42.11
Deceased Mauritanian Politicians
Go to all RankingsMoktar Ould Daddah
1924 - 2003
HPI: 59.78
Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi
1938 - 2020
HPI: 56.78
Mustafa Ould Salek
1936 - 2012
HPI: 51.28
Ely Ould Mohamed Vall
1953 - 2017
HPI: 50.12
Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly
1943 - 2019
HPI: 50.08
Newly Added Mauritanian Politicians (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Politicians were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 4 most globally memorable Politicians since 1700.
