Kingsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
The four main antagonists in the Mauritania presidential election have contested the outcome that gave the incumbent military leader, Gen Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz, the lead. They claimed it was a "prefabricated" result meant to legalize a coup plotter and called for international investigations.
Mauritania interior minister announced over the weekend that Gen. Abdelaziz won with 52% of the total votes counted in Saturday's poll. He seized power in a coup last year.
Abdelaziz challengers cited massive fraud using purchased voter’s cards, manipulation of voter’s lists, use of fake ballots and ID cards. Abdelaziz supporters were shown on state TV celebrating across the streets of Nouakchott. Voter turnout was fairly high; the electoral commission gave the figures as 61.46%.
Other figures communicated earlier are 16.72% for Messaoud Ould Boulkheir, house speaker and leader of the anti-military coup front; and then 13.86% for Ahmed Ould Daddah, leader of the main opposition party.
Ibrahim Sarr, the only black-Mauritanian candidate, came fourth with 5.01%. While liberal Islamic leader, Jamil Ould Mansour got 4.57%, coming before ex-military head of state (2005 – 07), Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, who had 3.79%.
The 250 international observers sent by the African Union and OIF (Francophonie International Organisation) have not issued any statement concerning the results and the accusations forwarded by opposition parties.
Mauritanian has not been ruled more than one year by a democratically elected leader since its independence in 1960.
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