From 14 to 17 October 2026, the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law conducted a high-level, four-day workshop in Nouakchott, bringing together senior and mid-level judges of Mauritania’s ordinary judiciary, including distinguished members of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal.
The workshop was held under the framework of the project ‘Strengthening the Reach and Accessibility of Constitutional Justice in Mauritania’, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. The programme was structured around two core thematic focuses: Constitutional Powers and Institutions (Days 1 and 2) and Judicial Referral of Constitutional Challenges (Days 3 and 4), the latter highlighting the indirect constitutional complaint mechanism (‘l’exception d’inconstitutionnalité’) introduced through Mauritania’s 2017 constitutional reform.
The event opened on 14 October 2026 with remarks by Mr Mohamed Ahmed Aida, Secretary General of the Mauritanian Ministry of Justice; Ms Eva Potzy, Political Officer at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Mauritania; and a representative of the Max Planck Foundation.
The first two days explored comparative models of the separation of powers, the judiciary as an independent constitutional power, and the mechanics of checks and balances, with expert presentations by Max Planck researchers complemented by national perspectives from prominent constitutional law academics and members of the Mauritanian judiciary. The following two days turned to the practical dimensions of constitutional challenges, examining the relationship between ordinary and constitutional courts, the procedural and substantive requirements for referrals, and the rigorous assessment of interest and seriousness required under Mauritanian law — drawing on comparative examples from across the MENA region throughout.
Across the four days, participants engaged in lively, interactive discussions that underscored the indispensable role of ordinary judges in protecting fundamental rights and bridging national practice with global standards.