Mauritania sets date for presidential elections

The first round of presidential elections in Mauritania will be held on June 29, with a possible second round on July 14, according to a presidential decree published on Saturday.

It is expected that President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (67 years old), who has been leading the country since 2019, will be the frontrunner in these elections.

His candidacy has not been announced yet, but observers have no doubts about it.

After economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Ghazouani made poverty alleviation one of his priorities.

Eight candidates have announced their participation in the elections so far, including former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who was in power from 2009 to 2019 and was sentenced in December 2023 to five years in prison on charges of misuse of power for personal gain. His lawyers have appealed the verdict.

On Saturday, officials in his newly formed party said that Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz will run "without hesitation" in the presidential elections "to free the country from the real crisis we are in."

The prominent anti-slavery activist and opposition figure Biram Dah Abeid, who came second in the last presidential elections, also announced his intention to run.

According to the decree, the electoral campaign begins at midnight on Friday, June 14, and ends on Thursday, June 27, at midnight.

The decree stipulates that voting starts at 7:00 AM and ends at 7:00 PM.

AFP