Mauritania’s Ghazouani wins re-election with 56.12% of vote

Mauritania’s incumbent President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani has comfortably won re-election, receiving 56.12 percent of the vote in the first round of the presidential poll, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) said Monday.

The victory in Saturday’s election gives the former army chief a second term as head of the vast desert country, seen as a rock of relative stability in Africa’s volatile Sahel region and set to become a gas producer.

Ghazouani’s main challenger, anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, came far behind with 22.10 percent of votes, according to results announced by CENI chief Dah Ould Abdel Jelil.

Abeid said Sunday he would not recognize the results of CENI, which he accused of being manipulated by the government.

Ghazouani’s other main rival, Hamadi Ould Sid’ El Moctar, who heads the Islamist Tewassoul party, came third with 12.78 percent, according to CENI.

“We did everything we could to prepare the conditions for a good election and we were relatively successful. I congratulate everyone,” said the head of the electoral commission.