Lalla Mariam Bint Moulaye Idriss

Lalla Mariam Bint Moulaye Idriss (Arabic: لالة مريم بنت مولاي إدريس; born in 1957) is a Mauritanian politician. Born in Ayoun el Atrous, she began her studies in that town before continuing them in Nouakchott, eventually gaining a doctoral degree in financial engineering.^[1]

In 1987, President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, desiring to "correct countless managerial mistakes committed in the past", named Idriss as one of three women appointed to the cabinet, in which she served as Associate Director of the presidential cabinet. The other two were Khadijatou Bint Ahmed, who as Minister of Mines and Industry became the first woman cabinet Minister in the country's history, and N'Deye Tabar Fall, who became the General-Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.^[2][3] She served in the role until 1995.

Beginning in 2007, she led the Conseil d’Administration de L’Agence mauritanienne d’information, the official information agency of Mauritania.^[4]

She ran in the 2014 presidential election, in which she was the only female candidate; at the time she had already spent more than twenty years of her career in government service.^[5] Her platform was focused largely on bringing more visibility to issues affecting women in Mauritania.^[6] During the campaign, she admitted that total transparency was impossible to achieve given the constrictions of Mauritanian society and the influence of tribal elders on the political system.^[7] Ultimately, she came in last in the election, in which she ran as an independent.^[8] Idriss is married, and she has four children.^[4]

References

1. "Madame Lalla Meryem Mint Moulaye Idriss, candidate à l'élection présidentielle du 21 Juin 2014 : Ma candidature a été motivée par l'état de dégradation sociale qui engendre un appauvrissement progressif du Mauritanien". Le calame. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
2. "Al-Hakawati". al-hakawati.net. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
3. "Mauritania - CHANGING SOCIAL PATTERNS". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
4. "Présidentielle mauritanienne : Lalla Meryem Mint Moulaye Idriss, candidate de la parité". JeuneAfrique.com. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
5. "Mauritania: Moulaye Idriss, candidate for presidential election of 21st June - Africa Top Success". www.africatopsuccess.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
6. Africa Yearbook Volume 11: Politics, Economy and Society South of the Sahara in 2014. BRILL. 8 October 2015. pp. 119–. ISBN 978-90-04-30505-2.
7. "Mauritania: Presidential candidates doubt elections credibility". The North Africa Post. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
8. "CENI" (PDF). Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2017.