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The High Council of State (Arabic: المجلس الأعلى للدولة; French: Haut Conseil d’État) was the supreme political body of Mauritania. It served as the country's interim government following the coup d'état which ousted the President, Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi on August 6, 2008. It was led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. After seizing power it quickly pledged to hold elections "in the shortest possible period". A few days after seizing power, Abdel Aziz named Mauritanian Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf, as Prime Minister.
On April 15, 2009 Abdel Aziz resigned as President of the High Council of State in order to stand as a candidate in the upcoming presidential election. President of the Senate, Ba Mamadou Mbaré, succeeded him as head of state in an interim capacity, becoming the first black leader of Mauritania. The election took place on July 18, 2009 and Abdel Aziz was elected President with 52.58% of the votes. He was sworn in on August 5, 2009.