Mohamed Lemine Ould Guig


Mohamed Lemine Ould Guig is a Mauritanian academic and political figure. He was the 8th Prime Minister of Mauritania from December 18, 1997 to November 16, 1998. Guig was never a member of any political party. Guig was the Prime Minister between stints by Cheikh El Avia Ould Mohamed Khouna.

Biography

Guig was a native of Oualata and trained as an attorney. He was a law professor at the University of Nouakchott in the 1990s but was generally unknown in political circles. Guig served as director of higher education, and his region was considered a bastion of the presidential majority. On December 18, 1997, he was appointed Prime Minister by President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya shortly after an election. Guig replaced the civil servant Cheikh El Avia Ould Mohamed Khouna. At the time of his appointment, Guig was 39 years old and the youngest Prime Minister of the world. Serving 11 months, Taya dismissed him as premier on November 16, 1998 and Khouna assumed his position. In 2003, Guig was appointed Commissioner for Food Security, to replace Sidi Mohamed Ould Biye.
Following the 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état, Guig was appointed secretary general by coup leader Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. In 2014, Guig was appointed Chairman of the African Commission of the African Union to supervise the presidential election in Egypt, which resulted the election of former General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. On January 9, 2015, Guig was appointed State Inspector General and pledged to fight against mismanagement and misappropriation of public property. In June 2015 however, Guig was appointed Deputy General Secretary of the Arab League to manage financial affairs.