In Mauritania, voters have re-elected Mohamed Cheikh Ould El Ghazouani for a second term as head of the country. His candidacy in the June 29 presidential elections won 56.12% of the votes cast in the first round, according to the final results published Monday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).
Opponent Biram Dah Abeid, 59, came second with 22.10% of the vote. Supporters of the abolitionist activist organized demonstrations in the streets of Nouakchott on Sunday evening, but were quickly dispersed by the police.
Ould El Ghazouani has started receiving congratulatory messages for his victory in the June 29 elections, including from the presidents of the United Arab Emirates and Senegal.
The general, who had swapped his military uniform for civilian clothes, has been in power since 2019. During these years, relations between Morocco and Mauritania have seen a marked improvement compared to the era of former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, with the resumption of visits by ministers from both countries and the revival of military and security cooperation.
However, the exchanges between King Mohammed VI and Ould El Ghazouani are officially limited to a telephone call on November 20, 2020, one week after the intervention of the Royal Armed Forces in El Guerguerate, and to messages sent during religious and national holidays.
Mauritania still recognizes the “RASD”.
