The leader of Mauritania’s 2008 coup d’état was poised to win Saturday’s presidential election, according to early results from the count.

Mauritanian news website Taqadoumy reported that Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was leading with 53 percent of the vote after counting was completed in 440 of 2514 precincts by noon on Sunday.

Anti-slavery activist Messaoud Ould Boulkheir was running second with 16% and the opposition leader Ahmed Ould Mohameden Ould Daddah was in third place with 11%.
Both Daddah and Boulkheir opposed the August 2008 coup.

“The campaign was the most heated in the history of Mauritania,” Ortega Seiloum, a 27-year-old accountant and supporter of Aziz, told The Media Line.

Despite this, he said, “The atmosphere was very calm between the four main candidates.”

“While I don’t see significant differences in the candidates, I think that Aziz wants to do something for the country, something good,” Seiloum added. “I would like to see Aziz as president of Mauritania.”

Abdel Aziz was the leader of the junta that ousted former president Sidi Cheikh Ould Abdallahi in August 2008 after he announced the firing of several military officials. Following the coup, Abdel Aziz acted as head of state until he stepped down to be a candidate in the presidential elections.

Mauritanian election codes stipulate that if a candidate does not win 50 percent of the ballots cast, there must be a second round of voting between the top two candidates.  If Abdel Aziz does not secure the required majority, there will be a runoff vote on August 1.

“I think there will be another round between Aziz and Daddah,” said Seiloum.

Abdel Aziz’s victory has been predicted by supporters and analysts alike, notably due to the influence he has garnered since the coup as acting head of state.

“Historically, the incumbent has had immense influence on upcoming elections, and those who have staged military coups have always been reelected,” Dr. Joseph Hill, professor at American University of Cairo and an expert on Mauritania, told The Media Line.

“Aside from the 2007 elections, elections in Mauritania have typically been a show of support for the ruling leader, not a chance to voice one's independent will.  This is especially the case outside the capital, where people live in settlements under a single religious or tribal leader who is held responsible for how people vote,” said Hill.

“Whether Abdel Aziz can be seen as an incumbent is not clear to me,” said Hill.  “He officially handed the reins over to someone else, but if the people see him as still the one calling the shots they may feel pressured into showing support for him.”

Even before votes were cast, the election proceedings were shrouded in controversy.  Mauritanian groups claimed that the government had taken several measures to ensure Aziz’s victory.

A French-Mauritanian solidarity organization called “Assez de Coups d’Etat,” (“Enough coups d’état”) released a report on Saturday accusing Aziz of “massive” election fraud.

“Since last week, Mauritanians living abroad discovered that their names had disappeared from voting lists,” the report said.

The group said voters inside the country encountered similar problems and accused senior government officials of election fraud.

“Citizens have also discovered, when showing up to vote at polling stations, that they had already voted… False identity cards were printed by the director of the National Statistics Office, Cheikh Bounenna Ould El Weli,” the report said.

The report was seized upon by the losing candidates, who convened a press conference where they called on the international community to question the validity of the election.

“We reject these results, which were fabricated in advance. We therefore demand that the international community forms a fact-finding committee to shed light on the electoral process,” said Daddah, flanked by other opposition candidates.

source: www.tayyar.org/