# List of heads of state of Mauritania

This is a list of heads of state of Mauritania since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day.
A total of nine people have served as head of state of Mauritania (not counting one acting president). Additionally, one person, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, has served on two non-consecutive occasions.
The current head of state of Mauritania is President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, since 1 August 2019.

## Term limits

As of 2024, there is a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of Mauritania. The first president who adhered to the term limits was Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz in 2019.

## Titles

* 1960–1961: Acting Head of State
* 1961–1978: President of the Islamic Republic
* 1978–1979: Chairman of the Military Committee for National Recovery
* 1979 : Head of State and Chairman of the Military Committee for National Recovery
* 1979–1992: Head of State and Chairman of the Military Committee for National Salvation
* 1992–2005: President of the Islamic Republic
* 2005–2007: Chairman of the Military Council for Justice and Democracy
* 2007–2008: President of the Islamic Republic
* 2008–2009: President of the High Council of State
* 2009–present: President of the Islamic Republic

## List of officeholders
### Status

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Prime minister(s) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Prime minister(s) |
| 1 | | Moktar Ould Daddah (1924–2003) | 1961 1966 1971 1976 | 28 November 1960 | 10 July 1978 (Deposed in a coup) | 17 years, 224 days | PRM / PPM | Himself |
| 2 | | Mustafa Ould Salek (1936–2012) | — | 10 July 1978 | 3 June 1979 (Resigned) | 328 days | Military | Bouceif Sidi Haidalla |
| 3 | | Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly (1943–2019) | — | 3 June 1979 | 4 January 1980 (Deposed in a coup) | 215 days | Military | Haidalla |
| 4 | | Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla (born 1940) | — | 4 January 1980 | 12 December 1984 (Deposed in a coup) | 4 years, 343 days | Military | Himself Bneijara Taya Himself |
| 5 | | Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya (born 1941) | 1992 1997 2003 | 12 December 1984 | 3 August 2005 (Deposed in a coup) | 20 years, 234 days | Military / PRDS | Himself Boubacar Khouna Guig Khouna M'Bareck |
| 6 | | Ely Ould Mohamed Vall (1953–2017) | — | 3 August 2005 | 19 April 2007 | 1 year, 259 days | Military (Sûreté Nationale) | Boubacar |
| 7 | | Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi (1938–2020) | 2007 | 19 April 2007 | 6 August 2008 (Deposed in a coup) | 1 year, 109 days | Independent | Zeidane Waghef |
| 8 | | Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (born 1956) | — | 6 August 2008 | 15 April 2009 | 252 days | Military | Laghdaf |
| – | | Ba Mamadou Mbaré (1946–2013) | — | 15 April 2009 | 5 August 2009 | 112 days | Independent | Laghdaf |
| (8) | | Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (born 1956) | 2009 2014 | 5 August 2009 | 1 August 2019 | 9 years, 361 days | UPR | Laghdaf Hademine Béchir |
| 9 | | Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (born 1956) | 2019 2024 | 1 August 2019 | Incumbent | 5 years, 227 days | UPR | Béchir Sidiya Bilal Djay |
| | | Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (born 1956) | 2019 2024 | 1 August 2019 | Incumbent | 5 years, 227 days | El Insaf | Béchir Sidiya Bilal Djay |

## Latest election

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | Mohamed Cheikh Ghazouani | El Insaf | 554,956 | 56.12 |
| | Biram Dah Abeid | Democratic Alternation Pole | 218,546 | 22.10 |
| | Hamadi Sid’El Moctar Mohamed Abdi | National Rally for Reform and Development | 126,340 | 12.78 |
| | El Id Mohameden M’Bareck | Republican Front for Unity and Democracy | 35,288 | 3.57 |
| | Mamadou Bocar Ba | Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal | 23,617 | 2.39 |
| | Outouma Antoine Souleimane Soumaré | Independent | 20,360 | 2.06 |
| | Mohamed Lemine El Mourteji El Wavi | Independent | 9,722 | 0.98 |
| Total | Total | Total | 988,829 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 988,829 | 92.05 |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 53,787 | 5.01 |
| Blank votes | Blank votes | Blank votes | 31,608 | 2.94 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,074,224 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 1,939,344 | 55.39 |
| Source: National Independent Election Commission |||||