Mauritania-election: President acclaimed in first round thanks to his record…

By:Souleymane Loum 

Mauritanians voted on June 29, 2024, to re-elect President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani or designate a successor. The counting is still underway this Monday, July 1, but according to the online platform of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), there will be no suspense; the outgoing head of state will crush the contest. According to the preliminary results shown this morning, Ould Ghazouani is already at 56.16%. He could thus win in the first round.

His primary opponent, the anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, would not have accomplished better than 22.4% of the votes, according to the provisional results. Still, according to the Electoral Commission, the participation rate was 55.39%, a remarkably honourable figure. If confirmed, this would mean that Mauritanians are mostly pleased with their president and are opting for continuity. The destiny of the country has indeed transformed since 2019, and not only thanks to the gas and oil deposits…

The country has also formed partnerships with the European Union (EU) to launch three main programs in green hydrogen. Nouakchott is also active in the production of uranium and could quickly become the second West African leader. Again, there is the check for 500 million euros marked by the EU in March 2024 to set up projects in transport and energy. All this to state that Mauritania is on the agenda of foreign investors and the activism of the Head of State has a lot to do with it.

The president’s supporters did not wait for the final results to voice their exaltation; they did so early Sunday evening as soon as the preliminary data was delivered. This will further aggravate the opponents, who did everything to undermine his campaign by accusing him of corruption and squandering of public funds. But the fact is that Ould Ghazouani remains popular with Mauritanians…

Aside from the reforms he has undertaken and the investments he has attracted, voters have also bet on stability, in a region where coups d’état abound (this is the case of three neighbouring countries, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso) and where jihadists sow death with complete impunity.

Finally, please note that the CENI has until the evening of July 1 to reveal the final results.