Mauritania confidence vote: Ould Djay government wins 145 to 21

Mauritania's National Assembly has voted confidence in Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djay's second government, approving its general policy statement by 145 votes to 21, with one abstention. The vote came after a debate of more than 15 hours that began on Monday, 9 November 2026 and ran into the early hours of Tuesday, 10 November, according to the state news agency AMI and local media. Ould Djay, who was reappointed by President Ghazouani to form a new government, had presented his programme to deputies on Saturday, 7 November. Its first priority is protecting household purchasing power against inflation, including help for public employees and pensioners and a cap on the price of meat.

A comfortable parliamentary majority gives Ould Djay's government a clear mandate to pursue its programme, and the slightly larger vote than in 2024 shows the ruling camp's grip on the Assembly has, if anything, tightened.

The content of the programme reflects pressures that many developing economies share. Rising prices have hit wage earners and pensioners hardest, and the government's answer mixes direct income support with price controls. A cap on the price of meat is a visible promise, but its effect will depend on enforcement in the markets, as local commentators have noted. Critics in the local press also said the prime minister's review of past achievements measured activity better than results, and that timelines for new measures remain vague.

The planned Vision 2060 is the government's attempt to set a long-term development path with measurable targets, while the focus on the interior regions speaks to the gap between the main urban centres and the rest of the country. Questions about adapting the country's institutions have been referred to a national dialogue rather than settled in the programme.

For outside partners, including Indian companies looking at African markets, a government with a firm majority and a published programme offers some predictability about policy in the years ahead.

Peepals calculation: The 145 votes in favour were about 87% of the 167 deputies who voted (145 ÷ 167 ≈ 0.87) and about 82% of the Assembly's full 176 seats (145 ÷ 176 ≈ 0.82). In 2024 the first government won about 85% of votes cast (140 ÷ 165 ≈ 0.85), so support among those voting edged up by about two points. Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: With confidence secured, the government can move ahead with its purchasing-power measures, including support for public employees and pensioners and the meat price cap.

Long-term: The Vision 2060 plan and the push to develop the interior will shape how Mauritania directs public investment over the coming decades, if they are followed through.

Who is affected: Mauritanian households facing higher prices, public employees and pensioners, businesses in the interior regions, and foreign partners and investors.

What to watch next: The prime minister is due to return to the National Assembly in January 2027 to set out details of some of the measures.

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