Mauritania’s President Ghazouani wins reelection, provisional results show

Associated Press

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani won reelection after positioning the country as a strategic ally of the West in a region swept by coups and violence, provisional results from all polling stations showed on Sunday. Ghazouani, who campaigned on a pledge of providing security and economic growth, obtained 56.1% of votes, the country’s independent electoral commission said late on Saturday. His main rival, anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, received 22.1% of votes, but earlier on Sunday rejected the results, alleging fraud.The turnout was 54%, the commission said, out of two million eligible voters.