Mauritania votes in preview of presidential contest

NOUAKCHOTT: Mauritanians voted on Saturday in the first legislative and local elections since 2019 when President Mohammed Ould Ghazouani came to power in a litmus test for the veteran leader ahead of next year’s presidential vote.
Ghazouani, who has overseen the country’s relative stability in the violence-wracked Sahel, is widely expected to seek reelection next year, though he has not confirmed his plans.
His El-Insaf party is favored to win among the 25 parties vying for the backing of around 1.8 million voters, who are set to choose 176 members of parliament as well as 15 regional councils and 238 municipal councils.
There were snaking queues outside polling stations in the capital Nouakchott.
After casting his vote, Sidelmoustaphe Ould Ntilitt, 40, said he wanted change and hoped the “new parliament breathes news blood into governance.”

Issa Habib Fall, 29, echoed him, adding: “We are poor despite our immense wealth.”
Ghazouani’s party is the only one to field candidates in all constituencies, which is likely to give him a boost in particular with rural voters in the vast, arid country.
El-Insaf’s leading challengers are the Islamist movement Tewassoul, the main opposition party in the outgoing parliament, and the Arab nationalist Sawab.
“I’m coming because of a sense of duty, obviously,” said Mohammed Ould Cheikh, a 30-year-old mining agent.
“Our duty is to contribute to the development of democracy. Peace and development depend upon it,” he said.
Campaigning has been in full swing since April 27, with main parties setting up large tents in Nouakchott.
El-Khadir Lamine, an 18-year-old student voting for the first time, said he was hoping for “new opportunities for young people.”
For the first time, voters can choose a list for candidates younger than 35, for whom 11 seats will be automatically attributed in the National Assembly.
Results from the first round of voting are expected within 48 hours of poll closings. A second round is scheduled for May 27 for half of the 176 National Assembly seats.
Ghazouani, 66, is a general considered one of the main architects of Mauritania’s success against extremism, in his former role as army chief.
Ghazouani made the fight against poverty one of his priorities, carrying out an ambitious social program that has included distributing food and money to the poorest.
But the economy has slowed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising inflation due to the war in Ukraine has put cost-of-living concerns for the forefront.
El-Insaf had a comfortable majority in the previous parliament, and analysts have predicted little threat from rival parties.