Through our EU-funded project in Mauritania “EURECS Mauritania”, we supported the launch of the Steering Committee for the Harmonisation of Mauritania's Electoral Legal Framework, marking the beginning of a structured and nationally led technical process aimed at strengthening the coherence and effectiveness of the country's electoral legislation. The initiative is being implemented at the request of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) and builds upon previous legal reform efforts, while seeking to consolidate and harmonise the existing electoral framework into a coherent and operational basis for future reforms.
Held at the headquarters of the CENI, the inaugural meeting brought together representatives of the CENI, the Constitutional Council, the High Authority for Press and Audiovisual Media (HAPA), the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) and the Ministry of the Interior. Beyond the formal establishment of the Committee, the meeting created a common institutional platform for technical dialogue, allowing participating institutions to endorse a shared methodology, validate the initial scope of work and launch a collaborative process grounded in Mauritania's institutional context.
The assistance aims to support the analysis, consolidation and pre-harmonisation of the electoral legal framework by identifying inconsistencies, overlaps and gaps across the Electoral Code, the Constitution and related legislation. It will also distinguish issues requiring technical legal improvements from those requiring political or institutional decisions, while preparing the future operationalisation of revised provisions through procedures, internal regulations and implementation tools.
The methodological approach adopted under the project follows a progressive, participatory and results-oriented process. Building on previous work, including earlier legal analyses and draft texts, the experts will conduct a comprehensive review of the electoral legislation, classify provisions according to their legal and operational implications, and progressively develop harmonised proposals through regular consultations with the Steering Committee rather than through standalone workshops. This approach ensures that all recommendations remain technically robust while fully respecting national ownership and institutional prerogatives.
The Steering Committee will accompany the process throughout its implementation by reviewing intermediate products, providing technical observations and progressively validating the proposed legal options. This governance mechanism is designed to strengthen institutional ownership, facilitate inter-institutional coordination and ensure that the future recommendations are both legally sound and operationally feasible.
The legal harmonisation process will be carried out by an international and national team of experts combining comparative legal expertise, institutional operationalisation and local legal knowledge. Their work will culminate in a comprehensive technical package, including a consolidated legal matrix, harmonised legal proposals, explanatory notes, institutional coherence analyses and a roadmap for the subsequent validation and implementation phases.
Through the EURECS Mauritania project, ECES continues to support nationally owned electoral reforms by providing technical expertise that strengthens democratic institutions, promotes legal coherence and contributes to the preparation of inclusive, credible and transparent electoral processes in Mauritania.
