Mauritania's Constitutional Council on Thursday, July 4, confirmed the re-election of President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani in last weekend's elections.
The court validated Monday's first-round results that put Ghazouani in the lead with 56.12% of the vote, ahead of his opponents Biram Dah Abeid and the Islamist candidate Hamadi Ould Sid' El Moctar.
No appeals were lodged with the court within the permitted timeframe after the announcement of the results from Saturday's election, its secretary general Aminatou Mint El Khaless said at a ceremony in Nouakchott. "In view of the results declared, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani is elected President of the Republic of Mauritania," she said. "He will take office on August 2, 2024."
The 67-year-old former army chief is widely credited with maintaining security in the West African state, which has largely withstood the tide of jihadism in the region and is set to become a gas producer. Unlike neighbouring Mali, the country of 4.9 million people has not experienced a jihadist attack since 2011.
Since independence, Mauritania has faced a series of coups and authoritarian regimes, with the 2019 elections marking the first transition between two elected presidents.
No major incidents were reported during the election. However, clashes broke out after the first results were announced, and three people died in Kaedi in the south on Monday night.
Mobile data internet was also cut off before being partially restored on Wednesday evening, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). No major new disturbances have been reported.
Three of Ghazouani's six rivals called to congratulate him, according to their headquarters, but Abeid continues to contest the results.