Nida El Watan Explained

Native Name:حزب نداء الوطن
Leader:Daoud Ould Ahmed Aicha
Ideology:Bidhani supremacism
Mauritanian nationalism
Centralism
Position:Far-right
National:Coordination of Parties of the Majority
Affiliation1 Title:Parliamentary group
Affiliation1:Justice group
Seats1 Title:National Assembly
Seats2 Title:Regional councils
Seats3 Title:Mayors
Country:Mauritania

Nida El Watan (Arabic: حزب نداء الوطن|ḥizb nidāʾ al-waṭan|Nation’s Call Party) is a Bidhani supremacist political party in Mauritania.

The party was formed on 10 April 2015 by controversial political activist Daoud Ould Ahmed Aicha,[1] with it being formally recognised by the Ministry of Interior on 13 October 2016.[2]

Ideology

The party states its goal to be the establishment of a national state in Mauritania and to "consolidate the ancestral Arab Bidhani identity".[2] [3] The party defends the construction of a Mauritanian national identity based on the dominant Bidhani identity (including the Haratine due to the shared culture around the Hassaniya variant of Arabic) while considering the rest of ethnic groups of the country as protected national minorities, arguing that the lack of a stable national identity outlook in Mauritania, which has historically seen a competition between Arab nationalism and a more African-oriented identity as part of the country's politics, would risk the stability and unity of the country.[4]

The party's leader is known for his controversial statements on ethnic politics in Mauritania, most notably on slavery, where Ould Ahmed Aicha stated his rejection to what he called "the blackmailing of certain groups within the country by those who trafficked in the issue of slavery".[3] Ould Ahmed Aicha previously threatened to "return to the era of slave captivity, before the establishment of the Mauritanian state" and to "take his faction to arms".[5]

The party heavily opposes the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA) and its associated Refoundation for a Global Action party (RAG) led by Biram Dah Abeid, considering it an "extremist" party.[6]

Election results

National Assembly

National Assembly
ElectionParty leaderNational listSeats+/–Government
Votes%
2018Daoud Ould Ahmed Aicha3,3660.48% 0
202324,2682.50% 5

Notes and References

  1. News: 2015-04-11 . ولد أحمد عيشة يقدم أوراق حزب يدعو الي تعزيز وحدة البيظان . Ould Ahmed Aisha presents the papers of a party that calls for strengthening the unity of the Bidhan . ar . 2024-07-16 . Souhoufi.
  2. News: 2016-10-13 . موريتانيا: الداخلية تمنح الترخيص لحزب “نداء الوطن” . Mauritania: The Ministry of Interior grants the license to the “Nida El Watan” party . ar . 2024-07-16 . SaharaMedias.
  3. News: 2016-10-14 . Le parti « Nida Al Watan » officiellement reconnu . The "Nida Al Watan" party officially recognised . fr . 2024-07-16 . CRIDEM.
  4. News: 2015-06-05 . ولد احمد عيشة لدي شعبية لا يتوفر عليها أي حزب سياسي موريتاني (فيديو) . Ahmed Aicha has a popularity that is not available to any Mauritanian political party (video) . ar . 2024-07-16 . El Becham.
  5. News: 2016-10-13 . بعد حزب لحراطين الداخلية ترخص لحزب البيظان . After the party of the Haratine, the Ministry of the Interior licenses the party of the Bidhan . ar . 2024-07-16 . El Mewqif.
  6. News: 2016-10-13 . الداخلية الموريتانية ترخص لأحزاب "متطرفة" . The Mauritanian Ministry of the Interior licenses "extremist" parties . ar . 2024-07-16 . Al Qad.