Presidential elections were held in

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

on 22 June 2019, with a second round planned for 6 July if no candidate had received more than 50% of the vote. The result was a first round victory for

Mohamed Ould Ghazouani Mohamed Ould Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed Ould Ghazouani (; born 4 December 1956), also known as Ghazouani and Ould Ghazouani, is a Mauritanian politician and retired army general who has been the 9th President of Mauritania since 2019, and the 22ndch ...

who won with 52 percent of the vote. However, opposition rejected the results, calling it "another army coup." On 1 July 2019, Mauritania's constitutional council confirmed Ghazouani as president and rejected a challenge by the opposition. With incumbent President

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (; born 20 December 1956) is a retired Mauritanian military officer and politician who served as the 8th President of Mauritania from 2009 to 2019. A career soldier and high-ranking officer, he was a leading figure in ...

not running, the elections were reported to be the first peaceful transfer of power since the country's independence from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1960.

Electoral system

Under Article 26 of the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

, the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

is elected for a five-year term using the

two round system The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...

. If no candidate receives an absolute majority of the vote in the first round, a second round is held two weeks later between the two candidates who received the most votes. Candidacy is restricted to citizens by birth aged between 40 and 75 (on the day of the first round) who have not had their civil and political rights removed. Article 23 also stipulates that the president has to be a Muslim. Article 28 establishes a

term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...

of two mandates, allowing the president to only be re-elected once. The election of a new president is required to take place between 30 and 45 days before the expiration of the term of the incumbent president.

Candidates

, Union for the Republic. * Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, supported by Tewassoul. * Biram Dah Abeid, Independent. * Mohamed Ould Maouloud, Union of the Forces of Progress, supported by the Rally of Democratic Forces. * Kane Hamidou Baba, Independent, supported by the Vivre Ensemble coalition. * Mohamed Lemine El Mourteji El Wafi, Independent.

Campaign

Candidate slogans

Opinion polls

Results

Tables

Aftermath

Following Ould Ghazouani's declaration of victory, protests were held in

Nouakchott Nouakchott ( ) is the capital and largest city of Mauritania. Located in the southwestern part of the country, it is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. The city also serves as the administrative and economic center of Mauritania. Once a ...

, leading to around 100 arrests. The government started to reduce mobile internet services on the day after the elections, with fixed-line internet services ceasing on 25 June; both were fully restored on 3 July.Mauritania: Widespread Arrests to Blunt Backlash Over Election
Human Rights Watch, 23 July 2019

References

{{Mauritanian elections

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Presidential elections in Mauritania

2010s internet outages