Ahmed Ould Daddah
Ahmed Ould Daddah | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 7, 1942 Boutilimit, French West Africa |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, politician |
| Known for | Head of the Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD), opposition leader in Mauritania |
Ahmed Ould Daddah (, born 7 August 1942) is a Mauritanian economist and political figure. He is the half-sibling of Moktar Ould Daddah, the inaugural President of Mauritania, and is affiliated with the Marabout Ouled Birri tribe. Currently, Ould Daddah serves as the head of the Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD) and was officially acknowledged as the opposition leader following his second-place finish in the 2007 presidential race.
Early life and education
Ould Daddah was born on 7 August 1942 in Boutilimit, which was then part of French West Africa. He completed his primary schooling locally before pursuing secondary education at Lycée Van Vollenhoven in Dakar. Subsequently, he studied economics at the Faculté de Droit et Sciences Economiques de Paris, University of Paris, graduating during the mid-1960s.
Early career
Upon completing his studies, Daddah returned to Mauritania to act as an economic and financial advisor to his brother, President Moktar Ould Daddah, from 1967 until 1968. He later held the position of Executive-Secretary for the Organisation des États Riverains du Sénégal from 1968 to 1971, contributing to the establishment of the Organisation pour la mise en valeur du fleuve Sénégal (OMVS).
In 1971, he was appointed Director-General of Mauritania’s National Import-Export Company (Sonimex). Between 1973 and May 1978, he served as Governor of the Central Bank of Mauritania. In 1978, he briefly held the role of Minister of Finance and Commerce until his brother was removed from power in a military coup on 10 July 1978.
From 1986 to 1991, Daddah worked as an economist with the World Bank, providing counsel to the Government of the Central African Republic.
Under Ould Taya
After returning to Mauritania in 1991, Daddah contested the January 1992 election, securing second place with 32.73% of the vote behind incumbent Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. That same year, he became Secretary-General of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces-New Era (UFD-EN).
In January 1995, following protests concerning bread prices, Daddah was detained along with other opposition figures but was released without formal charges after a period under house arrest. In February 1997, UFD-EN joined forces with other groups to create the Front of Opposition Parties (FPO), which chose to boycott the December 1997 presidential election won by Ould Taya.
On 16 December 1998, after an FPO gathering, Daddah and two colleagues were arrested and subjected to harsh detention conditions until January 1999; they were subsequently acquitted in March. He faced brief detentions in April and December 2000 without charges after openly criticizing government practices related to rule of law and investigations into previous violence.
In October 2000, authorities dissolved UFD-EN on accusations of inciting unrest. The Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD) was then founded as its successor organization, with Daddah elected president in January 2002.
Daddah participated again in the 2003 election, finishing third with 6.89% of votes. Alongside other opposition candidates, he alleged electoral fraud and called for rejection of the official results.
On 3 November 2004, Daddah was arrested with fellow opposition leaders on allegations related to coup plotting. Despite prosecutors seeking a five-year sentence, he was acquitted on 3 February 2005 following a trial involving a total of 195 defendants.
Under military and civilian administration
On August 3, 2005, Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was deposed in a coup, resulting in a transitional military government that organized elections toward the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. Following the initial round of the 2006 Mauritanian parliamentary election on November 19, Daddah proclaimed the RFD as "the nation's most significant political entity." The RFD participated as a member of an eight-party opposition coalition. On January 12, 2007, during an event in Kiffa, Daddah declared his intention to run in the presidential race scheduled for March 2007. In the first round held on March 11, he achieved 20.69% of votes, ranking second to Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, who secured 24.80%. In the runoff on March 25, Daddah was narrowly beaten, obtaining 47.15% compared to Abdallahi's 52.85%.
Daddah emerged victorious in three out of Mauritania's thirteen regions: Nouakchott, Inchiri Region, and his native Trarza Region. He accepted the election outcome and extended congratulations to Abdallahi on his win.
On May 30, 2007, the Constitutional Court formally recognized Ould Daddah as the Leader of the opposition.
Following the 2008 coup
The RFD and Daddah endorsed the military takeover on August 6, 2008. On August 12, Daddah characterized this non-violent coup as "an effort to correct the democratic process," citing alleged irregularities in the 2007 presidential election.
On February 4, 2009, while maintaining support for the coup and opposing reinstatement of Abdallahi, Daddah called for the military to step down from power and advocated excluding armed forces members from participating in the forthcoming 2009 presidential vote. He cautioned that prolonged military governance might damage Mauritania’s foreign relations and expose the country to economic penalties. Initially, both Daddah and the RFD refrained from participating in the election, criticizing the junta’s unilateral scheduling.
After negotiations between the junta and opposition led to postponing the election until July 18, 2009, the RFD nominated Daddah as their candidate on June 9. He placed third with 13.66% of votes, trailing behind General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Messoud Ould Boulkheir.