On Monday, February 2, the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) organized the official launch ceremony of the project “A European Response to Electoral Cycle Support in Mauritania (EURECS – Mauritania),” marking a new milestone in cooperation between the European Union and Mauritania in the field of electoral support.
The ceremony was opened by the Project Coordinator, Ashref Maktouf, followed by welcoming remarks from José Manuel Pinto Teixeira, Vice-President and Member of the ECES Management Board. His Excellency Joaquín Tasso Villalonga, Ambassador of the European Union to Mauritania, as well as Mr. Dah Ould Abdel Jelil, President of the Commission Électorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI), also delivered speeches prior to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding.
Funded by the European Union and implemented by ECES for a duration of two years, the project aims to support the key institutions involved in the electoral process in preparation for the elections scheduled in 2028 and 2029. It is part of the European integrated approach to electoral cycle support, based on the EURECS methodology developed by ECES.
The project will provide support to the CENI, the Constitutional Council, the Haute Autorité de la Presse et de l'Audiovisuel (HAPA), and the Commission Nationale des Droits de l'Homme (CNDH), with the objective of strengthening institutional and professional capacities in order to promote the organization of inclusive and credible elections. The action notably aims to improve and harmonize the electoral legal framework and to strengthen the capacities of the HAPA and the CNDH to promote fundamental freedoms and combat disinformation.
The initiative builds on the needs identification mission conducted by ECES in February 2025, as well as on the recommendations of the European Union Electoral Expert Mission of 2024. Implemented in coordination with the European Union Delegation and national partners, it foresees targeted capacity-building activities, integrating gender, inclusion, and civil society participation dimensions.
