Mauritanian President seeks re-election in June

Ould Ghazouani, who has been Mauritania’s President since 2019, said he will run for a second term in June elections.

“I have deemed it appropriate to address you directly, dear compatriots, through this letter, to inform you of my decision to present myself to you, so that you renew your confidence in me for a new term,” he said in a statement.

Mauritanian elections take place against a regional backdrop of a series of military coups in the Sahel, save Senegal which managed to protect democratic rule despite earlier turmoil.

Mauritania- a vast country rich in iron, gas, and fisheries- has also seen coups from 1978 to 2008. Ould Ghazouani, a man in uniform himself, has been elected in 2019 marking the first poll-decided transition between two presidents.