According to official results announced on Sunday, the ruling party in Mauritania achieved a comfortable victory in last week’s legislative and local elections. These elections served as a crucial test for the long-standing head of state in the lead-up to next year’s presidential poll.
These were the first elections held since 2019 when President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani assumed power. Under his leadership, the West African nation has enjoyed relative stability amidst the escalating violence in the Sahel region. Ghazouani is widely expected to seek re-election in 2024, although he has not yet confirmed his plans.
Ghazouani’s party, El Insaf, emerged as the frontrunner among the 25 competing parties vying for the support of Mauritania’s 1.8 million voters. El Insaf secured 80 out of the 176 seats in parliament, as announced by Dah Abdel Jelil, the head of the independent electoral commission (CENI). Furthermore, 36 seats were won by parties allied with the president, while the opposition claimed 24 seats, with the Islamist Tewassoul movement securing nine of them.
Tewassoul, advocating for the strict application of Islamic law, served as the main opposition group in the outgoing parliament, where El Insaf enjoyed a comfortable majority. A run-off vote for the remaining 36 parliamentary seats will take place on May 27.
In addition to its parliamentary success, El Insaf won all 13 regional councils and secured 165 of the 238 local constituencies up for contention.
However, the opposition has raised concerns of “massive fraud” during the elections, despite an official turnout of 71.8 percent.
President Ghazouani, aged 66, is a general known for his instrumental role in Mauritania’s successful efforts against jihadism during his tenure as the army chief. Notably, his party was the only one to field candidates in all constituencies in the recent parliamentary and local polls. This comprehensive presence is expected to provide a significant advantage for Ghazouani in the upcoming presidential ballot, particularly among the rural electorate in the vast and arid country.
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