Keen interest in vital Mauritania poll

Vote counting is progressing in Mauritania following Saturday’s national elections. The vast West African country faces a multitude of issues including a legacy of military coups, migration, jihadist attacks in neighbouring states and a harrowing legacy of slavery. President Mohamed ould Cheikh Ghazouani, who has been in power since the country's first democratic transition in 2019, is seeking a second and final term. Six other candidates are challenging him for the top job. A BBC News analysis notes that this election is a litmus test of Mauritania’s burgeoning democracy and an indicator of how well it is progressing on its path to greater political openness. When former President Mohamed ould Abdel Aziz stepped down in 2019 after his tenure, it heralded a new era for a country that had endured multiple military coups and authoritarian rule. ‘Mauritania has the strongest democratic credentials in the Sahel at present, which given its history of coups is quite surprising,’ said Joseph Hammond, iDove Fellow at the AU.

Slavery remains a sensitive issue in Mauritania, which was the last country in the world to outlaw the practice, in 1981. It has been abolished in the country three times, but thousands of black Mauritanians still live as unpaid domestic servants, while anti-slavery activists face repression. An estimated 149 000 people are enslaved in Mauritania – about 3% of the population, according to the Global Slavery Index (GSI) in 2023. Migration is another hot. BBC News notes that Mauritania is a key transit point for migrants trying to reach Europe from West Africa, with thousands of boats departing from the country last year. In April, the EU granted Mauritania €210m in aid – almost €60m of which will be invested in the fight against illegal immigration to Europe. And corruption also continues to be a major problem in Mauritania. Former President Aziz was jailed for five years for illicit enrichment and embezzlement and is disqualified from standing in the election. Investors from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, particularly the UAE, aim to make Mauritania an energy hub for green hydrogen production, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

Full BBC News report