Mauritania heads to presidential polls, incumbent likely to win

Mauritanians have begun voting to decide whether to re-elect President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani as head of the vast desert state, considered an oasis of stability in the volatile Sahel.

Around 1.9 million registered voters are set to choose between seven candidates vying to lead the West African nation on Saturday.

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

Polling stations will close at 7 pm (1900 GMT), with the first results expected on Saturday evening.

Official results are set to be announced on Sunday or Monday.

Former general Ghazouani is the overwhelming favourite to win a second term, with observers considering a first-round victory possible given opposition divisions and the resources of the president's camp.

A possible second round vote would take place on July 14.

While the Sahel has in recent years seen a string of military coups, particularly in Mali, Mauritania has not seen an attack since 2011.

Young population

After a first term hit by the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Ghazouani has made fighting poverty and supporting young people priority issues.

Over 70 percent of Mauritania's population is under 35, with young people increasingly drawn to the prospect of a better future in Europe or the United States.

Inflation has fallen from a peak of 9.5 percent in 2022 to 5 percent in 2023 and should continue to drop to 2.5 percent in 2024.

The president's two main rivals are human rights activist Biram Dah Abeid , runner-up in the last two presidential elections, and the leader of the Tewassoul party, Hamadi Ould Sid' El Moctar.

Both vow radical change, "an end to mismanagement and corruption", and far-reaching education and justice reform.

The opposition strongly contested the legislative elections a year ago, which were won by Ghazouani's party.

The African Union has sent a team of 27 short-term observers, while the European Union has sent no mission but three election experts.

The Mauritanian government has set up a national election monitoring body, which the opposition has denounced as a tool for manipulating the ballot.