Facing the outgoing president, six candidates are promising the first real democratic change in this vast country of around 4.9 million inhabitants, which in 2019 experienced its first transition between two elected presidents.
Results are expected to begin rolling in on Saturday evening and be officially announced later on Sunday or Monday.
Observers believe that Mr Ghazouani has a chance of winning in the first round. If there is a second round, it will take place on July 14.
The campaign was generally peaceful.
The outgoing president presents himself as the guarantor of the stability of this country which has not experienced an attack on its soil since 2011.
Since the start of the campaign which saw him crisscross all regions of the country, the head of state has promised “a resounding victory in the first round”.
Mr. Ghazouani voted in the morning in Nouakchott. “I congratulate the Mauritanians for their high level of awareness and their democratic spirit,” he told the press, “welcoming the climate of peace and tranquility” since the beginning of the day.
The outgoing president has made helping the poorest and young people his priority projects. In Mauritania, those under 35, who represent more than 70% of the population, are increasingly leaving for Europe or the United States, driven by the hope of having a better life.
After a first term hampered by the Covid-19 epidemic and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, Mr Ghazouani hopes to reform further during a second term thanks to favourable economic prospects.
Over the period 2024-2026, growth is expected to average 4.9% (3.1% per capita), thanks to the launch of gas production in the second half of 2024, the World Bank estimates. Inflation has fallen from a peak of 9.5% in 2022 to 5% in 2023, and is expected to continue to decline to reach 2.5% in 2024.
With AFP
