El Karama ( Arabic : حزب الكرامة , romanized : ḥizb al-karāma , lit. 'Dignity Party') is a political party in Mauritania led by Cheikhna Ould Mohamed Ould Hajbou .
40-554: El Karama was founded on 12 October 2011. It won six seats in the 2013 parliamentary elections , and retained all six seats in the 2018 elections . In the 2023 parliamentary elections El Karama won five seats in the National Assembly of Mauritania. El Karama identifies as a social democratic party. This Mauritania -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . 2013 Mauritanian parliamentary election [REDACTED] Member State of
80-466: A 450% projected increase in electricity demand between 2010 and 2030, Nouakchott's Sheikh Zayed solar power plant was completed in 2012 and is considered the largest solar power plant in Africa. The desert climate causes dust accumulation, which negatively impacts the performance of photovoltaic solar panels. Nouakchott is divided into three administrative regions ( wilayat ) led by governors appointed by
120-469: A large tree-lined street, Avenue Gamal Abdel Nasser, which runs northeast through the city centre from the airport. It divides the city into two, with the residential areas in the north and the medina quarter , along with the kebbe , a shanty town formed due to the displacement of people from other areas by the desert. Other major streets are named (in French ) for notable Mauritanian or international figures of
160-418: A small fishing town, fortified fishing village ( ksar ) in pre-colonial times and under French rule . As Mauritania prepared for independence, it lacked a capital city. The area of present-day Nouakchott was chosen by Moktar Ould Daddah , the first President of Mauritania, and his advisors. Ould Daddah desired the new capital to symbolize modernity and national unity, which ruled out existing cities or towns in
200-436: Is broken into nine arrondissements , sub-divided into alphabetized Îlots . These are Teyarett, Ksar, Tevragh-Zeïna, Toujounine, Sebkha, El Mina, Dar-Naïm, Arafat and Riad. The Sebkha (Cinquième) Arrondissement is home to a large shopping area. Nouakchott features a hot desert climate ( Köppen : BWh) with hot temperatures throughout the year but cool winter night temperatures. Due to the city's oceanside location, Nouakchott
240-419: Is generally not quite as hot as other cities with this climate. Still, the city can experience sweltering days. While average high temperatures are relatively constant at around 33 °C (91 °F), average low temperatures can range from 25 °C (77 °F) during the fall months (in this city fall is hotter than summer, with September and October being the hottest months) to 13 °C (55 °F) during
280-642: Is home to the University of Nouakchott Al Aasriya , the main university in Mauritania , opened in 1981. As of 1995, it had 70 professors and 2,800 students. There are also many international schools more specifically the american school tlc international school. Other higher education facilities include the Lebanese International University of Mauritania , the National School of Administration,
320-578: Is now estimated to consist of at least one third of the country's population of 3.3 million, and the 2013 census showed a population of 958,399. Located on the Atlantic coast of the Sahara Desert, it lies on the west coast of Africa. With the exception of Friendship Port and a small fishing port , the coastal strip is mostly left empty and allowed to flood. The coastline includes shifting sandbanks and sandy beaches. There are areas of quicksand close to
360-592: Is used, with alternate male and female candidates. The other 40 seats are elected from a single nationwide constituency, also using closed list proportional representation, with half elected on a newly introduced separate list reserved for women. A total of 74 parties took part. Tewassoul was the only member of the 11 party opposition alliance known as the Coordination of the Democratic Opposition (COD) to take part. The COD's boycott had been criticised by
400-1002: The College of Science and Technology and the Higher Scientific Institute. There are many primary and secondary schools, among the most prominent are the American International School of Nouakchott, the Lycée Français Théodore Monod , and TLC International School. Attractions in Nouakchott include the National Museum of Mauritania , the National Library , the Port de Péche , and the National Archives . The city hosts several markets , including
440-738: The Marocaine market and the beaches . One beach is devoted to fishing boats where fish can be bought fresh at the Fish market . Nouakchott is a principal selling place of native Saharan meteorites . Among the places of worship , they are predominantly Muslim mosques like the Saudi Mosque and the Sudanese Embassy Mosque . There are also Christian churches and temples: Roman Catholic Diocese of Nouakchott ( Catholic Church ), Protestant churches , Evangelical Churches . Nouakchott hosts ten of
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#1733085648321480-716: The Union for the Republic (UPR), secured a one-seat majority in its first ever election; while the Islamist National Rally for Reform and Development secured 16 seats, becoming the second largest political force in Mauritania and leading the opposition. Following the first round of voting, on 23 November, Tewassoul president Jemil Ould Mansour claimed at a party news conference that the party had found "serious irregularities" including ballot stuffing and voting being carried out after
520-422: The 1960s: Avenue Gamal Abdel Nasser, Avenue Charles de Gaulle, Avenue Kennedy, and Avenue Lumumba, for example. The kebbe consists of cement buildings that are built overnight and made to look permanent to avoid destruction by the authorities. In 1999, it was estimated that more than half of the city's inhabitants lived in tents and shacks, which were used for residential as well as business purposes. The city
560-487: The Arab League Parliamentary elections were held in Mauritania on 23 November. The opposition has vowed to boycott the election unless the president steps down beforehand. A total of 1,096 candidates have registered to compete for the leadership of 218 local councils across Mauritania, whilst 438 candidates are contesting for the 146 parliamentary seats. Some 1.2 million Mauritanians were eligible to vote in
600-471: The capital of Nouakchott . Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Mohamed Lemine called for Mauritanians to give the Union for the Republic a majority in parliament so that they could support the program of President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz . The UPR is also the only party fielding a contestant in every constituency. The UPR has also criticized Tewassoul for its links to the Muslim Brotherhood, and has called for
640-577: The central government, each of which contains three departments ( moughataa ): Separate from the wilayat , a directly elected regional council was established in Nouakchott in 2018, which took over the roles of promoting social and economic development from the Urban Community that it replaced. Fatimatou Abdel Malick was elected Council president in September 2018, and re-elected in May 2023. Nouakchott
680-491: The city as of 1999 with 90% of the city's economic activity consisting of informal transactions. Some inhabitants have multiple addresses and maintain strong ties with their regions of origin, at times returning for labor. Nouakchott has a Chinese-built deepwater port that opened in 1986. It was designed for a capacity of 500,000 tons deadweight (DWT) of cargo a year, but has been handling 1,500,000 tons (DWT) by 2009. China agreed in 2009 to invest US$ 282 million in
720-414: The city being treated as a single 18-seat electoral district) using either the two-round system or proportional representation ; in single-member constituencies candidates require a majority of the vote to be elected in the first round and a plurality in the second round. In two-seat constituencies, voters vote for a party list (which must contain one man and one woman); if no list receives more than 50% of
760-454: The city had a population of nearly 1.5 million people and serves as the hub of the Mauritanian economy. It is home to a deepwater port and Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport , one of the country's two international airports. It also hosts the University of Nouakchott and several other more specialized institutions of higher learning. Not too long ago, Nouakchott was known for being
800-464: The city. The process was scheduled to begin with the relocation of 9,000 families from the outskirts into the poor Arafat department neighborhood of "Kosovo", popularly named for its high crime rate and poor services. The government planned to begin moving families in June 2009, despite concerns from aid agencies that needed infrastructure could not be put in place in the receiving neighborhood. In 2013, it
840-504: The climate of Nouakchott in the year 2050 would most closely resemble the current climate of Khartoum . The annual temperature would increase by 2.3 °C (4.1 °F), and the temperature of the warmest month by 2.8 °C (5.0 °F), while the temperature of the coldest month would decrease by 0.3 °C (0.54 °F). According to Climate Action Tracker , the current warming trajectory appears consistent with 2.7 °C (4.9 °F), which closely matches RCP 4.5. Responding to
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#1733085648321880-662: The count. Mansour claimed these irregularities could discredit the election, and stated that the party had sent a delegation to the electoral commission to complain. He did not say which parties he believed to have benefited from the alleged irregularities. Nouakchott Nouakchott ( / n w æ k ˈ ʃ ɒ t , n w ɑː -/ nwa(h)k- SHOT ; French: [nwakʃɔt] ; Arabic : نواكشوط , romanized : Nwākshūṭ , Hassaniyya: [nwakʃuːtˤ] ; Wolof : Nuwaaksoot ; Pulaar : Nuwaasoot ; Soninke : Nuwasooto ; Berber : Nwakcoṭ , originally derived from Berber : Nawākšūṭ , 'place of
920-481: The difficulty in estimating the city's population is that part of it is nomadic , setting up tents in suitable locations, then packing up when the need strikes. Some estimates put the 2008 population at over 2 million. The 2013 census gave the city's population as 958,399. In 2009, the government of Mauritania announced that it would begin a process of clearing the slum on the outskirts of Nouakchott, as 24,000 families would eventually be relocated to planned housing in
960-583: The election. The first round results yielded a landslide victory for the ruling UPR winning 56 seats and their 14 coalition partners winning 34 seats. The Islamist Tewassoul party won 12 seats. The remaining seats were contested in a runoff on 21 December 2013. The UPR won the majority with 75 seats in the Assembly . The elections were originally set for 1 October 2011, then delayed several times to 16 October 2011, 31 March 2012, May 2012, October 2013 and November/December 2013, due to continuous disputes between
1000-415: The government and opposition parties. The 146 members of the National Assembly are elected by two methods (with Mauritanians being able to cast three different votes in a parallel voting system ); 106 are elected from single- or multi-member electoral districts based on the departments (or moughataas ) that the country is subdivided in (with the exception of Nouakchott , with the nine departments of
1040-699: The governmental buildings and state enterprises. The city was attacked twice in 1976 by the Polisario Front during the Western Sahara conflict , but the guerrillas caused little damage. The city has had massive and unconstrained growth, driven by the North African drought , since the beginning of the 1970s; hundreds of thousands moved there in search of a better life. The official censuses showed 134,000 residents in 1977 and 393,325 in 1988, although both figures were probably smaller than reality. The population
1080-409: The harbor. Nouakchott is largely flat, and some of the city lies below sea level. It is threatened by the sand dunes advancing from its eastern side which pose a daily problem. There have been efforts to save particular areas, including work by Jean Meunier. Owing to the rapid build-up, the city is quite spread out, with few tall buildings. Most buildings are one-story. Nouakchott is built around
1120-512: The interior. The village was selected as the capital city for its central location between Saint-Louis, Senegal , the city from which the colony of Mauritania was governed, and Nouadhibou . Its location also meant that it avoided the sensitive issue of whether the capital was built in an area dominated by the Arabs , Amazigh (Berbers) or Sub-Saharan Africans . Construction began in March 1958 to enlarge
1160-544: The movement to dissociate itself from Islamists elsewhere. Tewassoul has described its participation as a struggle against what it deems the dictatorship of President Mohamed Oul Abdel Aziz, and Party President Mohamed Jemil Ould Mansour has called for a huge turnout by Tewassoul supporters. Thousands of supporters of the COD marched in Nouakchott on 6 November to protest against the election. President Ould Abdel Aziz 's party,
1200-451: The port, aiming to extend the main quay by over 900 m (3,000 ft). As of 2011, the World Bank was investigating funding a new shipping container facility at the port. Air service is provided by Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport , which replaced the previous Nouakchott International Airport in June 2016. The Cairo–Dakar Highway leg from Nouakchott to Nouadhibou
1240-499: The ruling UPR, with Ould Mohamed Lemine saying such action was unjustifiable "in view of the political and electoral reforms accomplished." The main contestants are seen to be the UPR, Tewassoul, and the People's Progressive Alliance . The two-week campaign period began on Friday 8 November. The beginning of the campaign was greeted with fireworks, car honking, and loud music in the streets, in
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1280-452: The village to house a population of 15,000, in 1959 Nouakchott started with its founding by indigenous people from the surrounding region, and the basics were completed by the time that the French granted independence on 28 November 1960. Nouakchott was planned with the expectation that commerce and other economic activities would not take place in the city. Nouakchott's central business district
1320-403: The vote in the first round, a second round is held, with the winning party taking both seats . In constituencies with three or more seats, closed list proportional representation is used, with seats allocated using the largest remainder method . For three-seat constituencies, party lists must include a female candidate in first or second on the list; for larger constituencies a zipper system
1360-503: The winds' or alternatively Zenaga : in wakchodh , 'having no ears') is the capital and largest city of Mauritania . Located in the southwestern part of the country, it is one of the largest cities in the Sahara . The city also serves as the administrative and economic center of Mauritania. Once a mid-sized coastal village, Nouakchott was selected as the capital for the nascent nation of Mauritania, with construction beginning in 1958. It
1400-449: The winter months. Minimum temperatures can be as low as 10 °C (50 °F) during winter nights in Nouakchott. Average rainfall in the city is 95 mm (3.7 in) a year. A 2019 paper published in PLOS One estimated that under Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 , a "moderate" scenario of climate change where global warming reaches ~2.5–3 °C (4.5–5.4 °F) by 2100,
1440-417: Was initially divided into four departments in 1973. In 1986 the current nine departments were created. Formerly a district, in 1990 Nouakchott became a region of Mauritania. On 25 November 2014, it was split into the three current regions, with the previous governor of Nouakchott Mahi Ould Hamed becoming the first governor of Nouakchott-Nord. For comparison, its population was only 20,000 in 1969. Part of
1480-439: Was originally designed to accommodate a population of 15,000, but experienced significant population growth in the 1970s when many Mauritanians fled their home villages due to drought and increasing desertification . Many of the newcomers settled in slum areas of the city that were poorly maintained and extremely overcrowded. By the mid-1980s, Nouakchott's population was estimated to be between 400,000 to 500,000. As of 2023 ,
1520-482: Was paved in 2004, although the Nouakchott- Rosso leg was paved before independence. A 1,100-kilometre (680 mi) road ( Route de l'Espoir (Road of Hope)) connects the city with Néma via Boutilimit and Kiffa . In the city, there is a public transport and commuter system, with vehicles serving major boulevards. In July 2022 a tramway project was presented, without a scheduled opening date. The city
1560-414: Was planned with broad streets and a grid-like structure; the new Cinquième Quartier (Fifth District) was located close to this area and became the location of a large open-air market and residential area within a few years. During the 1960s, the city obtained its own local government. By the 1970s, these new areas had grown so much that they replaced the old ksar in terms of importance, as they also hosted
1600-413: Was reported that "slums have been replaced by social dwellings for the poorest", with the World Bank reporting that the plan met with substantial success, resulting in access to improved services for 181,035 people in the slum areas. Now in 2023 the population is approximately 1.5M people. Nouakchott is the center of the Mauritanian economy, with three-quarters of service sector enterprises located in
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