Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf مولاي ولد محمد لغظف |
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12th Prime Minister of Mauritania | |
In office 14 August 2008 – 20 August 2014 |
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President |
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz Ba Mamadou Mbaré (Acting) Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz |
Preceded by | Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef |
Succeeded by | Yahya Ould Hademine |
Personal details | |
Born |
Néma, French West Africa (now Mauritania) |
12 December 1957
Political party | Independent |
Religion | Islam |
Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf (Arabic: مولاي ولد محمد لغظف) (born 1957) served as the Prime Minister of Mauritania from August 2008 until August 2014.
Laghdaf was born in Néma. An engineer and a member of the Tajakant tribe, he became Mauritania's Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union in 2006 before being appointed as Prime Minister by junta leader Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on August 14, 2008. His appointment followed a military coup earlier in the month, and some suggested that he might have been appointed in hopes that doing so would improve Mauritania's foreign relations, given Laghdaf's diplomatic service in Europe. Laghdaf was already viewed as being closely associated with Abdel Aziz prior to his appointment.
On August 26, the Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD), the Alliance for Justice and Democracy - Movement for Renovation (AJD-MR), and the Movement for Direct Democracy (MDD) announced their decision to not participate in the Laghdaf's government because the junta had not clarified whether or not someone serving in the military would be allowed to stand as a presidential candidate and had not specified how long it intended to remain in power. The new government led by Laghdaf was appointed on August 31 and announced on television early on September 1. This government was composed of 28 members, aside from Laghdaf, and its members were considered to be politically obscure technocrats. The government included several members of the RFD, despite that party's refusal to participate; the RFD responded by saying that the RFD members who had accepted posts in the government had "automatically resigned" from the party by doing so.
Laghdaf announced on September 6, 2008 that an "open and constructive debate" would be held, in which members of parliament, political parties, and other organizations would be invited to participate. The purpose of this debate, according to Laghdaf, was to determine a timetable for holding a new election and consider various matters related to that election, including proposals for constitutional amendments and improved delineation of executive and legislative powers.