Mauritanians voted on Saturday for their deputies, regional councilors and mayors. An election that aroused relative enthusiasm, but above all some criticism.
Whereas the international community had, yesterday, the eyes fixed on the Turkish presidential election, another ballot took place, in Mauritania this time the day before. With a participation rate which should be close to 60%, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (Céni), the legislative, regional and municipal elections took place in a serene climate.
But on the political side, the opposition has already challenged the results of the first moughataas, the subdivisions of the wilayas, which were announced on public television. The CENI therefore quickly called for the people who counted the ballots to accept that observers could attend the operations.
But transparency will not calm the parties who deplore incidents during the vote. According to El Insaf, the ruling party, voters could not find their polling station, which had been moved without warning. The fact that the election is general was also at the heart of criticism: ballots for the legislative election have disappeared. But what particularly marked the spirits, it is the refusal to let the representatives of several parties observe the course of the ballot.
The CENI therefore quickly adapted. By letting go of the observers, but also by extending the opening hours of certain polling stations, when the latter were to close in the early evening. RFI even announces that several offices have reopened this Sunday morning to complete the Saturday vote.
Critics of the ruling party were shared by several opposition parties, such as Tawassoul or the RAG-Sawab coalition. But according to them, it is a presidential maneuver aimed at lowering the results of their respective formations.
Despite the delays in the vote and, consequently, in the counting, we should know the results on Monday. It now remains to be seen whether Mohamed Ould Cheikh el-Ghazouani will benefit from a large majority in the Assembly, as he hopes.