Mauritania came under the direct control of the French Colonial Empire during 1933.[3] After independence on 28 November 1960, the country declared itself the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, with Ould Daddah becoming its first President.[3] He declared the country a one-party state in 1964, and during 1965 all parties merged with the ruling Mauritanian Assembly Party to form the Mauritanian People's Party.[3]