The Union for Democracy and Progress (Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès) is a political party in Mauritania. It was founded on June 11, 1993 by Hamdi Ould Mouknass, who previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under President Moktar Ould Daddah.
In the parliamentary election held on 19 and 26 October 2001, the party won 8.1% of the popular vote and 3 out of 81 seats. In the parliamentary election held on 19 November and 3 December 2006, it won 3 out of 95 seats; in the Senate election held on 21 January and 4 February 2007, it won 1 out of 56 seats.
The UDP is led by Naha Mint Mouknass, and as of early 2008 it is the only political party in Mauritania that is headed by a woman. It supported Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi in the March 2007 presidential election and was part of the presidential majority following his victory. However, after the formation of the government of Prime Minister Yahya Ahmed Ould El Waghef in May 2008, the party left the presidential majority in June 2008, objecting to the composition of the government. It said that, while the opposition had been brought into the government, the UDP had been marginalized; the party also said that "the hope for change born on August 3, 2005 has been compromised", referring to the ouster of President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya on that date.
Famous quotes containing the words union, democracy and/or progress:
“The monk in hiding himself from the world becomes not less than himself, not less of a person, but more of a person, more truly and perfectly himself: for his personality and individuality are perfected in their true order, the spiritual, interior order, of union with God, the principle of all perfection.”
—Thomas Merton (1915–1968)
“Unless democracy is to commit suicide by consenting to its own destruction, it will have to find some formidable answer to those who come to it saying: “I demand from you in the name of your principles the rights which I shall deny to you later in the name of my principles.””
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)
“In our personal ambitions we are individualists. But in our seeking for economic and political progress as a nation, we all go up—or else all go down—as one people.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)