NOUAKCHOTT: Mauritanians participated in the second round of legislative elections on Saturday, with the ruling party taking center stage amidst allegations of electoral misconduct.
The El Insaf party, led by President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, who has been in power since 2019, secured 80 seats out of the 176-seat legislature in the first round held on May 13.
Smaller factions aligned with the president obtained 36 seats, while the opposition won 24 seats, with the largest share of nine going to the Islamist movement Tewassoul.
The voting for the second round commenced at 7:00 am (local and GMT) on Saturday and concluded 12 hours later. Results are expected to be announced in the coming days.
All the candidates in this round hail from constituencies outside the capital city of Nouakchott. The opposition has raised concerns about electoral fraud and other irregularities, calling for a rerun of the first round.
Mauritania Opposition Criticizes Govt’s Approach
Opposition figures have criticized the government’s approach, claiming it regresses the country’s democratic progress and undermines its future.
Messaoud Oud Boulkheir, the leader of the APP, one of the traditional opposition parties that failed to secure seats in parliament, stated, “The government’s attitude is dragging us decades back into the past and constitutes the death knell of democracy.”
During the local voting held on May 13, El Insaf emerged victorious, winning all 13 regional councils at stake and securing 165 out of 238 councils. The official voter turnout was reported at 71.8 percent.
President Ghazouani, a 66-year-old former army chief, is widely recognized as one of the key architects behind Mauritania’s successful efforts in countering jihadism in the volatile Sahel region.
