Mauritania’s opposition candidates in Saturday’s presidential election have refused to accept the provisional results announced on Monday by the National and Independent Electoral Commission (CENI), threatening a demonstration.
The opposition candidates clude Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid, Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, Hamidou Baba Kane and Mohamed Ould Maouloud.
Mohamed Ould Maouloud told a press conference Sunday night in Nouakchott that demanded the publication of the desk-to-desk results, to compare them with the minutes of the vote.
According to the results communicated by CENI the same day, Mohamed Ould Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed Ghazouani, the candidate of the ruling party, has won the election in the first round with 52.01% of valid votes.
In the process, the four losers have informed that they plan to hold a rally on Monday night in Nouakchott, to signal their disagreement. In addition, they claimed to have informed the Minister of the Interior, who asked them to calm down their supporters.
During that meeting with the Interior Minister, the unfortunate candidates explained that the demonstrations are the consequence of the decision of Mohamed Ould Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed Ghazouani to proclaim himself President of the Republic, even before the end of the vote counting.
MOO/id/cat/fss/abj/APA