Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz

His Excellence Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, was born on December 20, 1956. A career soldier and high-ranking officer, he joined the Royal Military Academy of Mekness, Morocco in 1977 and, after a string of promotions, established the elite BASEP (Presidential Security Battalion). He received Mauritania’s highest military award for his role in stopping the 2004 uprising. In 2009, he decided to run for President. In order to stand as a candidate in the presidential election; Abdel Aziz was required to step down as Head of State. He did so on 15 April, 2009 as expected, and the President of the Senate, Ba Mamadou Mbare, succeeded him in an interim capacity. He won the June 21, 2014 presidential elections and was sworn in as President again on August 2, 2014.