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Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef

Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef (Arabic: يحيى ولد احمد الواقف‎) (born 1960^[1]) is a Mauritanian politician. He was appointed as Prime Minister of Mauritania on May 6, 2008.^[2][3][4] Waghef is also President of the National Pact for Democracy and Development (ADIL), and he was Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic from 2007 to 2008.

Waghef was born in Moudjéria. He was Director-General of the Mauritanian Gas Company (Societé Mauritanienne de Gaz, SOMAGAZ) from January 2003 to August 2003 and then Director of the Banc d'Arguin National Park from September 2003^[1] until he was appointed as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Hydraulics and Energy on October 27, 2004.^[5] He served in that capacity until April 2005, at which point he became Director-General of Air Mauritanie, remaining in that post until December 2006.^[1]

After President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi took office in April 2007, he appointed Waghef as Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic on April 28, 2007.^[6] On January 5, 2008, Waghef was elected as President of ADIL, a party that was formed to support Abdallahi, at the end of the party's constitutive congress.^[7]

Prime Minister Zeine Ould Zeidane resigned on May 6, 2008, and Abdallahi appointed Waghef to succeed him on the same day.^[2][3] Following consultations with majority and opposition parties regarding the formation of the new government, the Union of the Forces of Progress (UFP) announced on May 9 that it intended to participate in Waghef's government;^[8] the National Coalition for Reform and Development (Tewassoul) also announced that it had decided to participate in the government on May 10.^[9] However, the President of the Rally of Democratic Forces, Ahmed Ould Daddah, said on May 7 that his party would not participate;^[10] the President of the Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal, Ibrahima Moctar Sarr, also said on May 10 that his party would not participate due to policy differences.^[11] On May 11, Waghef's government was named; it is comprised of 30 members, including 24 ministers,^[12][13] and 12 of its members had previously served under Zeidane. Members of ADIL accounted for almost two-thirds of Waghef's government and held most of the key ministries. Four members of the government were from the two opposition parties which decided to participate.^[12]

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