Mauritania’s Ghazouani wins presidential vote amid claims of fraud

Ghazouani’s victory in Mauritania is largely due to his ability to gather the screws of part of the opposition, which as a whole showed up divided at the electoral appointment. 

The electoral commission has announced incumbent President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani as the winner of the weekend’s poll, having garnered 56% of the vote. Mauritanians elected a new president with seven candidates vying to lead the nation which has largely withstood the tide of jihadism in the sahel region.  The country faces a multitude of issues including a legacy of military coups, migration, jihadism in neighbouring countries and a harrowing legacy of slavery. Slavery remains a sensitive issue in Mauritania, which was the last country in the world to outlaw slavery, in 1981. An estimated 149,000 people are enslaved in Mauritania – about 3% of the population, according to the Global Slavery Index (GSI) in 2023.Mauritania is a key transit point for migrants trying to reach Europe from West Africa, with thousands of boats departing from the country last year.

 This election is a litmus test of Mauritania’s burgeoning democracy and an indicator of how well it is progressing on its path to greater political openness.

The main opposition leader Biram Dah Abeid has however said he would not recognise the results of the commission. He admitted that he will take to the streets. Some of his supporters have demonstrated in the capital Nouakchott, burning tires and disrupting traffic.

Violence has not been a major issue in past elections because there was never a real belief that opposition members could have any real chance at winning the ballot. 

Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani has secured re-election with a comfortable margin, garnering 56.12 percent of the vote. 

After all votes were counted, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) had said that former general Ghazouani would win the election with more than 56 percent of the vote.

That puts El Ghazouani well ahead of the country’s main opposition leader, human rights campaigner Biram Dah Abeid, the CENI predicting 22 percent of the vote in his favour. He did not recognise official results.

Biram Dah Abeid insisted his response would be “peaceful”, calling on the army and the security forces “not to follow the orders of the regime”. Mr Abeid’s grandparents were slaves and he has spent much of his life campaigning against the practice.

Some of his supporters demonstrated in the capital Nouakchott, burning tires and disrupting traffic.

The opposition had however contested the legislative elections a year ago, which were won by Ghazouani’s party.They say the Mauritanian government has set up the national election monitoring body (CENI), which the opposition has denounced as a tool for manipulating the ballot. Irregularities such as voting without identity cards, voting by proxy and the expulsion of representatives of opposition candidates were reported by opposition.

In second place, the opponent and human rights activist Biram Dah Abeid had already in the last presidential election, and according to him, the result could be “false and manipulated” by the Electoral Commission, which he accuses of being used by those in power and of having committed fraud, as our correspondent in Nouackchott.

Ghazouani’s other main rival, Hamadi Ould Sid’ El Moctar, who heads the Islamist Tewassoul party, came third with 12.76 percent of the vote, according to CENI.

He said he would “remain attentive” to any breach of voting regulations.

Abeid’s campaign headquarters were surrounded by security forces, according to an AFP journalist. His campaign manager was arrested.

According to eyewitnesses, the internet services of mobile phones were cut off in certain Mauritanian cities, while remaining functional on the landline services.

The situation in the country is under control and citizens can go about their businepeace.

The ministry “hereby reaffirms that it will not tolerate any action likely to disturb the peace and tranquillity of citizens and residents living in country.

A 2019 election brought Ghazouani to power, marking the first transition between two elected presidents since independence from France in 1960 and a series of coups from 1978 to 2008.

President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani – Representing the ruling El Insaf or Equity Party. The 67-year-old incumbent president was the favourite to win the elections. The president was a former military man. He served as former army chief under his predecessor, Aziz, who hand-picked him for the top job. 

Ghazouani’s supporters claim he has significantly distanced the government from the military, and has built a more inclusive government than his predecessors. Ghazouani appointed Prime Minister Mohamed Ould Bilal, who is Black, and a few other top cabinet members from historically disadvantaged non-Arab communities like Afro-Mauritanians. Although his opponents accused him of corruption and mismanagement, he remains popular among Mauritanians who see him as a beacon of stability.

Afro-Mauritanians who mostly speak Fula, Soninke and Wolof, have also criticised the president for a 2022 policy that mandated the use of the Arabic language in primary schools. The policy introduced local languages at the primary level for the first time, but it also specified that Arabic be taught to non-Arab children, a move many saw as an imposition. 

However, the president has also faced a backlash over mounting rights abuses, especially targeted at government critics and opposition politicians. His ties to the military have also meant that the institution is still influential in policymaking.

While the Sahel has in recent years seen a string of military coups and escalating jihadism, particularly in Mali, Mauritania has not seen an attack since 2011. Mauritania has the strongest democratic credentials in the Sahel at present.

President Ghazouani has developed a close alliance with Western partners like France and the US, but has also been careful to keep ties with its military-run neighbours like Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, who have shunned Western influence recently. 

 As an important player in regional security, Mauritania’s ability to continue this leadership role depends to a significant extent on an effective and peaceful transfer of power that leads to a stable government.

Other opponents in the presidential race:

• Outouma Antoine Souleimane Soumare – An independent candidate, the neurosurgeon has campaigned on social justice, promising to change the constitution so it can more equally represent all social backgrounds, and pledging to provide basic amenities, especially to communities outside the capital, Nouakchott. Soumare is seen as a more moderate alternative to Abeid by many.
• Mamadou Bocar Ba of the Alliance for Justice and Democracy movement that represents mostly Black Mauritanians.
• El Id Mohameden M’Bareck of the Republican Front for Unity and Democracy (FRUD) or Hope Mauritania coalition.
• Mohamed Lemine El Mourteji El Wafi, who is running for the second time as an independent candidate.