Presidential elections were held in Mauritania 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 ( ar, محمد ولد الشيخ محمد أحمد ولد الغزواني; born 4 December 1956), also known as Ghazouani and Ould Ghazouani, is a Mauritanian politician and retired Mauritanian Ar ...

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 opposition. With incumbent President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz 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 primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

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, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princip ...

, the president is elected for a five-year term using the two round system. 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 that limits the number of terms an officeholder 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 ...

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 Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar ( ar, سيدي محمد ولد بوبكر; born 31 May 1957)
Agence Mauritanienne d'Informa ...

, supported by

Tewassoul The National Rally for Reform and Development ( ar, التجمع الوطني للإصلاح و التنمية, french: Rassemblement Nationale pour la Réforme et le Développement), often known by its shortened Arabic name Tewassoul ( ar, ت� ...

. *

Biram Dah Abeid Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid ( ar, بيرام ولد الداه ولد اعبيدي; born 12 January 1965) is a Mauritanian politician and advocate for the abolition of slavery. He was listed as one of "10 People Who Changed the World You Might N ...

, Independent. *

Mohamed Ould Maouloud Muhammad was an Islamic prophet and a religious and political leader who preached and established Islam. Muhammad and variations may also refer to: * Muhammad (name), a given name and surname, and list of people with the name and its variations ...

, Union of the Forces of Progress, supported by the Rally of Democratic Forces. *

Kane Hamidou Baba Kane Hamidou Baba ( ar, كان حاميدو بابا; 10 April 1954 – 28 December 2021) was a Mauritanian politician. A member of the Union of Democratic Forces, he served in the National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is eit ...

, Independent, supported by the Vivre Ensemble coalition. * Mohamed Lemine El Mourteji El Wafi, Independent.

Campaign

Candidate slogans

Opinion polls

Results

Aftermath

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

Presidential 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: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...

Presidential elections in Mauritania Mauritania 2010s internet outages