constituteproject.org PDF generated: 17 Jan 2014, 16:43 Title II Of the Executive Power Article 23 The President of the Republic is the Head of the State. He is of Muslim religion. Article 24 The President of the Republic is the guardian of the Constitution. He incarnates the State. He assures, through his arbitration, the continuous and regular functioning of the public powers. He is the guarantor of the national independence and of the integrity of the territory. Article 25 The President of the Republic exercises the executive power. He presides over the Council of Ministers. Article 26 The President of the Republic is elected for five years by universal direct suffrage. He is elected with the absolute majority of the suffrage expressed. If this is not obtained in the first round of the ballot by one of the candidates, it proceeds to a second round two weeks later. Only the two candidates who, remaining in competition, received the greatest number of votes in the first round, may present themselves. Every citizen born Mauritanian enjoying their civil and political rights and at least forty (40) years old, and at most seventy five (75) years old, at the date of the first round of the election[,] is eligible to the Presidency of the Republic. The ballot is opened at the convocation of the President of the Republic. The election of the new President of the Republic takes place thirty (30) days at least and forty five (45) days at most before the expiration of the mandate of the President in office. The conditions and forms of acceptance of the candidature as well as the rules related to the death or the impediment of the candidates to the Presidency of the Republic are determined by an organic law. The dossiers of the candidatures are received by the Constitutional Council which rules on their regularity and proclaims the results of the ballot. Article 27 The mandate of President of the Republic is incompatible with the exercise of any public or private function and with belonging to the directive instances of a political party. Article 28 The President of the Republic is re-eligible one sole time. Mauritania 1991 (rev. 2012) Page 6