African News Mohamed Ould Ghazouani re-elected President of Mauritania with 56.12% of votes

The outgoing President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, was re-elected according to the provisional results released by the National Independent Electoral Commission (Céni) on July 1, 2024. He won 56.12% of the votes, defeating his main rival, Biram Dah Abeid, who received 22.10%.

Official results released by the National Election Commission show that Gazovani won an absolute majority in the first round of elections. He clearly won out of a total of seven candidates, thus securing a second term as head of state. The electoral participation rate was 55.39%, a significant mobilization for this election.

Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, in power since 2019, faces a divided opposition in this election. Biram Dah Abeid came in second place in the last presidential election, but improved his score by 3 percentage points compared to 2019, from 19% to 22.10%. The allegations of electoral fraud launched by Abeid against Seini highlight the ongoing tensions in Mauritania’s political landscape.

Ghazouani’s re-election marks a new chapter for Mauritania, but also presents significant challenges. Rival Biram Dah Abeid has already announced that he will not recognize the election results and accuses CENI of being used by those in power. This situation is likely to spark protests and political tensions in the coming weeks.

Among the other candidates, Islamist candidate Hamadi Ould Sidi El Mokhtar from Tawasoul came in third with 12.78 percent of the vote. Other contenders scored less than 4 percent, with lawyer El Id Mohameden fourth with 3.57 percent, followed by Mamadou Bocar Ba and Outouma Soumaré, who each received just over 2 percent. Mohamed Lemine El Wavi received less than 1 percent of the vote.

The provisional results announced by the Central Election Commission still have to be approved by the Constitutional Council, which must review possible appeals before formally confirming the re-election of Mohamed Ould Ghazouani for a second term. The coming weeks will be crucial for Mauritania’s political future.