2024 Mauritanian presidential election explained

Country:Mauritania
Type:presidential
Previous Election:2019 Mauritanian presidential election
Previous Year:2019
Election Date:29 June 2024
Next Election:2029 Mauritanian presidential election
Next Year:2029
Registered:1,939,342 (25.59%)
Turnout:55.39% (7.24pp)
Image1:Мухаммед Ульд Газуани 02 (18-02-2022).jpg
Candidate1:Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
Party1:El Insaf
Alliance1:Presidential majority
Popular Vote1:554,959
Percentage1:56.12%
Candidate2:Biram Dah Abeid
Party2:Refoundation for a Global Action
Alliance2:Sawab–RAG
Popular Vote2:218,546
Percentage2:22.10%
Image3:Hamadi Ould Sid'El Moctar (2024 election portrait).jpg
Candidate3:Hamadi Ould Sid'El Moctar
Party3:National Rally for Reform and Development
Popular Vote3:126,187
Percentage3:12.76%
President
Before Election:Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
Before Party:El Insaf
After Election:Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
After Party:El Insaf

Presidential elections were held in Mauritania on 29 June 2024.[1] [2] Incumbent Mohamed Ould Ghazouani won re-election for his second and final term as President, increasing his vote share by four points.

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.[3]

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.[3]

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.[3]

For this election, campaigning was held from 14 June to 27 June.[4] Polling stations were open from 07:00 to 19:00 local time (GMT).[5]

Candidates

Presented

CandidatePartyExperienceCandidacy dates
1Mohamed



Ghazouani
El InsafPresident of Mauritania

Minister of Defense

Chief of Army Staff
Declared:
24 April 2024
Deposited:
26 April 2024
[6]
[7]
2Mohamed Lemine



El Wavi
Independent2019 presidential candidate
Economist
Declared:
14 January 2024
Deposited:
3 May 2024
[8]
[9]
3Hamadi

Sid'El Moctar

TewassoulDeputy for Kiffa

President of Tewassoul
Declared:
2 May 2024
Deposited:
8 May 2024
[10]
[11]
4Outouma


Soumaré
IndependentNeurosurgeonDeclared:
13 May 2024
Deposited:
13 May 2024
[12]
5Mamadou

Ba
AJD/MRDeputy for Nouakchott

President of the AJD/MR
Declared:
20 January 2024
Deposited:
14 May 2024
[13]
[14]
6El Id

Mohameden

FRUDNational list deputy

Deputy for Nouakchott
Declared:
2 March 2024
Deposited:
15 May 2024
[15]
[16]
7Biram



Abeid
Sawab–RAGNational list deputy

2014 and 2019 presidential candidate
Declared:
24 April 2024
Deposited:
16 May 2024
[17]
[18]

Disqualified

Declared

Withdrew

Campaign

Ghazouani campaigned in part on a security platform, while his opponents accused his government of corruption and clientelism, with Dah Abeid denouncing what he called “a catastrophic management of the state”.[31] Other issues during the election included unemployment, poverty and access to utilities such as water and electricity. Observers from the African Union and the United States monitored the vote.[32] [33]

Results

Turnout

Turnout by wilaya
WilayaTurnoutAbstentionRegistered
Voters%Absent%
Adrar29,19452.29%26,63647.71%55,830
Assaba89,80453.08%79,37346.92%169,177
Brakna111,78660.09%74,23339.91%186,019
Dakhlet Nouadhibou50,50360.22%33,36139.78%83,864
Gorgol86,93962.05%53,16537.95%140,104
Guidimagha59,26163.03%34,76436.97%94,025
Hodh Ech Chargui107,48552.64%96,70847.36%204,193
Hodh El Gharbi80,61551.88%74,78748.12%155,402
Inchiri8,22443.31%10,76456.69%18,988
Nouakchott-Nord65,42946.78%74,44553.22%139,874
Nouakchott-Ouest76,15847.58%83,90852.42%160,066
Nouakchott-Sud94,62458.90%66,02241.10%160,646
Tagant31,15555.47%25,01444.53%56,169
Tiris Zemmour18,54757.19%13,88442.81%32,431
Trarza149,41259.01%103,77140.99%253,183
Diaspora15,07451.32%14,29748.68%29,371
Total1,073,55355.36%865,78944.64%1,939,342
Source: National Independent Election Commission[34]

Results by wilaya

Results by wilaya
WilayaGhazouaniAbeidSid'El MoctarMohamedenBaSoumaréEl WaviNeutralNull
Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Votes%
Adrar20,19373.97%2,3738.69%3,49512.80%5902.16%1340.49%2630.96%2510.92%6481,247
Assaba53,84364.58%14,67717.60%11,31913.58%1,8442.21%4200.50%3040.36%9641.16%2,2694,164
Brakna59,85358.00%19,33818.74%9,3269.04%7,0166.80%5,7245.55%1,0291.00%9140.89%2,6725,914
Dakhlet Nouadhibou16,45435.89%18,83941.09%5,85312.76%2,2024.80%1,4363.13%8041.75%2640.58%2,0422,609
Gorgol38,05648.17%23,66729.96%3,2964.17%5,7737.31%6,0767.69%1,3911.76%7490.95%3,2764,655
Guidimagha22,03741.17%18,62134.79%3,9507.38%1,2822.40%1,9233.59%5,2249.76%5010.94%2,7662,973
Hodh Ech Chargui78,65078.50%6,4796.47%11,35911.34%1,0381.04%2830.28%3860.39%1,9992.00%1,3755,916
Hodh El Gharbi53,39070.60%5,7637.62%13,69218.10%1,1311.50%3300.44%2640.35%1,0571.40%1,0693,919
Inchiri4,48360.57%1,33418.02%95512.90%2773.74%1772.39%1101.49%650.88%295528
Nouakchott-Nord22,67838.53%17,26529.34%14,70024.98%2,0473.48%7051.20%8691.48%5881.00%2,5624,015
Nouakchott-Ouest26,15138.08%24,46635.62%9,18413.37%2,2583.29%1,8782.73%4,2416.18%4990.73%3,7203,761
Nouakchott-Sud28,89733.94%34,36640.36%12,92315.18%3,8934.57%2,9353.45%1,5641.84%5620.66%4,2455,239
Tagant23,25878.33%1,7475.88%3,15810.64%1,0203.44%580.20%1210.41%3311.11%3461,116
Tiris Zemmour7,78145.34%4,56226.58%3,33819.45%7944.63%3922.28%1450.84%1500.87%669716
Trarza94,68267.82%20,83614.92%16,76012.01%3,6312.60%6300.45%2,1391.53%9270.66%3,4076,400
Diaspora4,56232.09%4,21229.63%2,86820.17%4963.49%5173.64%1,50610.59%560.39%249608
Total554,49456.11%218,42722.10%126,15312.77%35,2783.57%23,6082.39%20,3602.06%9,8711.00%31,5882.94%53,7745.01%
Source: National Independent Election Commission

Results by moughataa

Aftermath

After the preliminary results showed Ghazouani leading in the election, Dah Abeid said that he would not recognize the results of “Ghazouani’s Ceni” and would hold "peaceful" demonstrations in the streets.[35] A spokesperson for the electoral commission said it had recorded no anomalies or complaints regarding the vote.[36]

On 2 July, three people were killed during clashes between the security forces and protesters demonstrating against the election results in Kaédi, which led authorities to block mobile internet services nationwide. Protests were also held in Nouadhibou, Rosso, Zouérate and Boghé.[37] On July 4, the Constitutional Council confirmed Ghazouani as the winner of the election.[38]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2024-04-20 . Mauritanian Presidential Election Set For June 29 . 2024-04-21 . www.barrons.com . en-US.
  2. Web site: 2024-04-21 . Mauritanie: l'élection présidentielle fixée au 29 juin . 2024-04-21 . Le 360 Afrique . fr.
  3. Web site: دستور الجمهورية الإسلامية الموريتانية . Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania . 2024-05-16 . Parliament of Mauritania . ar . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20221117072420/https://parlement.mr/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Constitution-de-la-RIM-ar_8.pdf . 2022-11-17.
  4. News: 2024-04-25 . Mauritania president announces second term bid for June election . en . 2024-04-25 . France 24.
  5. Web site: Mauritania heads to polls as incumbent Ghazouani expected to secure second term . 29 June 2024 . France 24 . 29 June 2024 . en.
  6. News: 2024-04-24 . غزوني يوجه رسالة للشعب يعلن من خلالها الترشح لمأمورية ثانية . Ghazouani sends a message to the people to announce his candidacy for a second term . ar . 2024-04-26 . Al Akhbar.
  7. News: 2024-04-26 . ولد الغزواني يسلم ملف ترشحه للرئاسيات للمجلس الدستوري . Ould Ghazouani deposits his candidacy for the presidential election with the Constitutional Council . ar . 2024-06-14 . Al Akhbar.
  8. News: 2024-01-14 . محمد الامين المرتجي الوافي يعلن الترشح لرئاسيات 2024 . Mohamed Lemine El Mourteji El Wavi declares his candidacy for the presidential election . ar . 2024-06-14 . Al Akhbar.
  9. News: 2024-05-03 . ولد الوافي يودع ملف ترشحه للرئاسيات لدى المجلس الدستوري . Ould El Wafi deposits his candidacy for the presidential election with the Constitutional Council . ar . 2024-05-04 . Al Akhbar.
  10. News: 2024-05-02 . "تواصل" يرشح رئيسه ويدعو مرشحي المعارضة للتنسيق ضد التزوير . Tewassoul nominates its president and calls on opposition candidates to coordinate against fraud . ar . 2024-05-02 . Al Akhbar.
  11. News: 2024-05-08 . رئيس حزب تواصل يودع ملف ترشحه للرئاسيات لدى المجلس الدستوري . The president of Tewassoul deposits his candidacy for the presidential election with the Constitutional Council . ar . 2024-06-14 . SaharaMedias.
  12. News: 2024-05-13 . سوماري يودع ملف ترشحه لرئاسيات 2024 . Soumaré deposits his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election . ar . 2024-05-14 . Al Akhbar.
  13. News: 2024-01-20 . AJD/MR : Ba Mamadou Bocar, nouveau président . AJD/MR: Ba Mamadou Bocar, new president . fr . 2024-06-21 . Le Calame.
  14. News: 2024-05-14 . بامامادو بوكار يودع ملف ترشحه للمجلس الدستوري . Ba Mamadou Bocar deposits his candidacy's file for the Constitutional Council . ar . 2024-05-16 . Al Akhbar.
  15. News: 2024-03-02 . النائب العيد محمدن يعلن ترشحه للرئاسيات المقبلة . Deputy El Id Ould Mohameden announces his candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections . ar . 2024-03-16 . Al Akhbar.
  16. News: 2024-05-15 . العيد محمدن سادس مرشح يودع ملف ترشحه لدى المجلس الدستوري . El Id Mohameden is the sixth candidate to file his candidacy with the Constitutional Council . ar . 2024-05-16 . Al Akhbar.
  17. News: 2024-04-24 . بيرام يترشح لرئاسيات 2024 ويصف نفسه "بمرشح القطيعة" . Biram runs for the 2024 presidential election and describes himself as the "candidate of rupture" . ar . 2024-04-26 . Al Akhbar.
  18. News: 2024-05-16 . بيرام الداه اعبيد يودع ملف ترشحه ويدعو لمواجهة التزوير . Biram Dah Abeid deposits his candidacy file and calls to face fraud . ar . 2024-05-16 . Al Akhbar.
  19. News: 2024-04-20 . جبهة التغيير تعلن ترشيح عزيز لرئاسيات يونيو 2024 . The Front of Change announces Aziz's candidacy for the June 2024 presidential election . ar . 2024-04-26 . Al Akhbar.
  20. News: 2024-04-22 . من سجين إلى مرشح رئاسي.. هل يعيد ولد عبد العزيز ما حدث بالسنغال؟ . From a prisoner to a presidential candidate... will Ould Abdel Aziz repeat what happened in Senegal? . ar . 2024-04-26 . Al Arabiya.
  21. News: 2024-05-15 . القضاء يأذن لعزيز بالخروج من السجن لإيداع ملف ترشحه . The judiciary authorizes Aziz to leave prison to file his candidacy . ar . 2024-05-16 . Al Akhbar.
  22. News: 2024-05-16 . ولد محمد خونه: الرئيس السابق سلم ملفه والمجلس الدستوري تعرض لانقلاب . Ould Mohamed Khouna: The former president handed over his file and the Constitutional Council suffered a coup . ar . 2024-05-16 . Al Akhbar.
  23. News: 2024-05-16 . المجلس الدستوري ينهي اجتماعه وتوقع إعلان لائحة المترشحين الجمعة . The Constitutional Council ends its meeting and signs the announcement of the list of candidates on Friday . ar . 2024-05-17 . Al Akhbar.
  24. News: 2024-04-29 . القيادي المعارض أحمد ولد صمب يعلن ترشحه للرئاسيات المقبلة . Opposition leader Ahmed Ould Samba announces his candidacy for the upcoming presidentials . ar . 2024-05-02 . Madar.
  25. News: 2024-05-01 . Ahmed Samba Abdallahi annonce sa démission du parti APP . Ahmed Samba Abdallahi announces his resignation from the APP party . fr . 2024-05-02 . CRIDEM.
  26. News: 2024-03-10 . الدكتور محمد الشيخ يعلن ترشحه لرئاسيات 2024 (فيديو) . Dr. Mohamed Cheikh announces his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election (video) . ar . 2024-03-16 . Al Akhbar.
  27. News: 2024-04-16 . موريتانيا: الناشط السياسي أحمد ولد هارون ولد الشيخ سيديا يعلن ترشحه للانتخابات الرئاسية . Mauritania: Political activist Ahmed Ould Haroun Ould Cheikh Sidiya announces his candidacy for the presidential election . ar . 2024-05-02 . Madar.
  28. News: 2024-02-22 . Hamidine Moctar KANE officialise sa candidature aux élections présidentielles de juin 2024 . Hamidine Moctar KANE formalizes his candidacy for the presidential elections of June 2024 . fr . 2024-04-26 . CRIDEM.
  29. News: 2024-04-19 . ولد محمدو يترشح للرئاسة ويقدم قراءته لمسار حكامة البلاد . Ould Mohamedou runs for president and presents his reading of the country's governance path . ar . 2024-04-26 . Al Akhbar.
  30. News: 2024-05-12 . مُرشح للرئاسيات: هناك تعليمات صارمة بمنعي من الترشح للرئاسة . Presidential candidate: There are strict instructions to prevent me from running for president . ar . 2024-05-14 . Al Akhbar.
  31. News: 27 June 2024 . Mauritania goes to the polls with a regional security crisis and economic concerns among the issues . en . 27 June 2024 . Associated Press.
  32. News: 28 June 2024 . What's at stake in Mauritania's presidential election? . en . 28 June 2024 . Al Jazeera.
  33. News: 30 June 2024 . Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani on track for reelection, provisional results show . en . 30 June 2024 . Associated Press.
  34. Web site: My CENI Résultats 2024 . ar,fr . res-myceni.org . . 2024-06-30.
  35. News: 30 June 2024 . Mauritania's President Ghazouani leads in presidential election . en . 1 July 2024 . Al Jazeera.
  36. News: 2 July 2024 . Mauritania's President Ghazouani re-elected . en . 2 July 2024 . Africanews.
  37. News: 3 July 2024 . Clashes between police and protesters disputing Mauritania's presidential election result kill 3d . en . 3 July 2024 . Associated Press.
  38. News: 5 July 2024 . En Mauritanie, la réélection de Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani confirmée par le Conseil constitutionnel . fr . 6 July 2024 . Jeune Afrique.