Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani on track for reelection, provisional results show

Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani is on track to secure a second mandate, provisional results show. Ghazouani has positioned the country as a strategic ally of the West in a region swept by coups and violence and ran on a pledge to provide security and economic growth. He obtained 55% of votes, according to provisional results from over 80% of polling stations, the country’s independent electoral commission said on Sunday afternoon. His main rival, anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, got 22.4% of votes, the commission said. The turnout was almost 55%.