2019 Mauritanian presidential election

2019 Mauritanian presidential election
← 2014 22 June 2019 2024 →
Registered1,544,132 (Increase 16.26%)
Turnout62.63% (Increase 6.17pp)
 
Candidate Mohamed Ould Ghazouani Biram Dah Abeid
Party UPR RAG
Alliance Presidential majority Sawab–RAG
Popular vote 483,007 172,649
Percentage 52.00% 18.59%
 
Candidate Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar Kane Hamidou Baba
Party Independent MPR
Alliance Tewassoul–HATEM+ CVE
Popular vote 165,995 80,777
Percentage 17.87% 8.70%
Results by wilaya and moughataa
President before election

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
UPR

President-elect

Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
UPR

Politics of Mauritania

Arab League Member State of the Arab League

Constitution
Government
Parliament
Administrative divisions
Elections
Foreign relations
flag Mauritania portal

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.[1] The result was a first round victory for Mohamed Ould Ghazouani who won with 52 percent of the vote.[2][3] However, opposition rejected the results,[4] calling it "another army coup."[5] On 1 July 2019, Mauritania's constitutional council confirmed Ghazouani as president and rejected a challenge by the opposition.[6]

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 in 1960.[7]

Electoral system

Under Article 26 of the constitution, 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.[8]

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 of two mandates, allowing the president to only be re-elected once.[8]

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.[8]

Candidates

Campaign

Candidate slogans

Candidate Original slogan English translation Ref.
In Arabic In French
Mohamed Ould Ghazouani من أجل الوطن Pour la patrie For the homeland [9]
Biram Dah Abeid التغيير الآن Le changement, c'est maintenant Change now [10]
Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar استعادة الأمل
التغيير الآن وليس غدا! 		Ressuciter l'espoir
Le Changement, c'est maintenant et non demain ! 		Restore hope
Change now, not tomorrow! 		[11][12]

Opinion polls

Polling
firm 		Fieldwork
date 		Sample
size 		Blank Undecided Refused to answer
Ghazouani
UPR 		Boubacar
Ind. 		Dah Abeid
Sawab–RAG 		Maouloud
UFP 		Baba
CVE 		El Wafi
Ind.
CMERS 15 Jun 2019 2,056 29.5% 23.0% 9.5% 3.7% 2.6% 2.1% 2.0% 14.9% 12.7%

Results

CandidatePartyVotes%
Mohamed Ould GhazouaniUnion for the Republic483,00752.00
Biram Dah AbeidDemocratic Alternation Pole172,64918.59
Sidi Mohamed Ould BoubacarIndependent165,99517.87
Kane Hamidou BabaCoalition Living Together80,7778.70
Mohamed Ould MaouloudUnion of the Forces of Progress22,6562.44
Mohamed Lemine El Mourteji El WafiIndependent3,6880.40
Total928,772100.00
Valid votes928,77296.04
Invalid votes28,7962.98
Blank votes9,5040.98
Total votes967,072100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,544,13262.63
Source: Constitutional Council

Tables

Results by wilaya
Wilaya Ghazouani Abeid Boubacar Baba Maouloud El Wavi Neutral Null
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
Adrar 16,743 68.88% 1,514 6.23% 5,009 20.61% 226 0.93% 751 3.09% 63 0.26% 178 0.71% 668 2.66%
Assaba 47,275 68.19% 10,702 15.44% 8,805 12.70% 921 1.33% 1,418 2.05% 203 0.29% 305 0.42% 2,496 3.46%
Brakna 46,038 50.64% 10,643 11.71% 15,947 17.54% 16,836 18.52% 1,291 1.42% 160 0.18% 1,350 1.42% 2,753 2.90%
Dakhlet Nouadhibou 14,248 30.04% 15,587 32.86% 10,713 22.59% 5,534 11.67% 1,075 2.27% 273 0.58% 491 1.00% 1,010 2.06%
Gorgol 23,594 35.95% 21,429 32.65% 3,451 5.26% 15,196 23.16% 1,795 2.74% 158 0.24% 937 1.36% 2,435 3.53%
Guidimagha 19,454 41.69% 16,131 34.56% 4,021 8.62% 6,461 13.84% 529 1.13% 73 0.16% 573 1.16% 1,958 3.98%
Hodh Ech Chargui 75,463 81.80% 2,877 3.12% 12,156 13.18% 367 0.40% 594 0.64% 799 0.87% 336 0.35% 2,809 2.94%
Hodh El Gharbi 52,350 75.07% 3,421 4.91% 11,647 16.70% 625 0.90% 1,430 2.05% 266 0.38% 243 0.34% 1,849 2.57%
Inchiri 5,659 60.67% 753 8.07% 2,244 24.06% 472 5.06% 180 1.93% 19 0.20% 94 0.98% 193 2.01%
Nouakchott-Nord 29,055 39.77% 15,003 20.54% 22,558 30.88% 2,776 3.80% 3,133 4.29% 534 0.73% 824 1.08% 2,368 3.11%
Nouakchott-Ouest 25,379 34.89% 20,055 27.57% 13,468 18.51% 10,124 13.92% 3,414 4.69% 306 0.42% 1,164 1.53% 2,386 2,386
Nouakchott-Sud 30,889 31.39% 30,621 31.12% 18,742 19.05% 15,054 15.30% 2,667 2.71% 433 0.44% 1,472 1.43% 3,203 3.11%
Tagant 19,467 73.47% 1,105 4.17% 4,622 17.44% 73 0.28% 1,186 4.48% 44 0.17% 152 0.56% 549 2.02%
Tiris Zemmour 8,772 44.07% 2,991 15.03% 5,690 28.59% 1,834 9.21% 539 2.71% 77 0.39% 174 0.84% 556 2.69%
Trarza 65,068 57.77% 17,150 15.23% 25,021 22.22% 2,808 2.49% 2,369 2.10% 211 0.19% 1,119 0.96% 3,352 2.86%
Diaspora 3,553 35.73% 2,667 26.82% 1,901 19.12% 1,470 14.78% 285 2.87% 69 0.69% 92 0.90% 211 2.06%
Total 483,007 52.00% 172,649 18.59% 165,995 17.87% 80,777 8.70% 22,656 2.44% 3,688 0.40% 9,504 0.98% 28,796 2.98%
Source: Constitutional Council

Aftermath

Following Ould Ghazouani's declaration of victory, protests were held in Nouakchott, leading to around 100 arrests.[13] 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.[14]

References

  1. ^ Mauritania to hold presidential election on June 22 African News, 18 June 2019
  2. ^ Mauritania: Former General Mohamed Ould Ghazouani wins presidential election Deutsche Welle, 24 June 2019
  3. ^ Mauritania's Ghazouani declared presidential vote winner Aljazeera, 24 June 2019
  4. ^ Mauritanian opposition rejects Ghazouani election victory Africa Times, 25 June 2019
  5. ^ ‘Historic’ Mauritanian elections contested by opposition The Arab Weekly, 29 June 2019
  6. ^ Mauritania Constitutional Council Confirms Mohamed Ould Ghazouani as President, VOA, 1 July 2019
  7. ^ Mauritania prepares for historic election as discontent simmers Reuters, 20 June 2019
  8. ^ a b c "دستور الجمهورية الإسلامية الموريتانية" [Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania]. Parliament of Mauritania (in Arabic). 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  9. ^ "Programme du candidat Mohamed Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed Cheikh El-Ghazouani" [Program of [the] candidate Mohamed Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed Cheikh El-Ghazouani] (PDF) (in French). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-11-26. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  10. ^ "Sous le slogan : « Le changement, c'est maintenant », le candidat Biram DAH ABEID, en orbite pour la présidentielle 2019 (reportage photos)" [Under the slogan: "Change is now", candidate Biram DAH ABEID, in orbit for the 2019 presidential election (photo report)]. Mauriweb.info (in French). Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  11. ^ "استعادة الأمل" [Restore hope] (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  12. ^ "Ressuciter l'espoir" [Restore hope] (in French). Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  13. ^ opposition candidates challenge presidential election result[dead link] Reuters, 26 June 2019
  14. ^ Mauritania: Widespread Arrests to Blunt Backlash Over Election Human Rights Watch, 23 July 2019