Mauritania: Another general takes over power in North Africa

Posted On 25 June 2019

Number of times this article was read : 117

Nouakchott, June 23, 2019 – Government candidate and frontrunner Mohamed Ould Ghazouani has won an absolute majority in the first round of Mauritania’s presidential election, with nearly all votes counted, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) said on Sunday. With counting completed in 3,729 of a total of 3,861 polling stations, the 62-year-old former head of the domestic security service won 51.5 percent of the vote, according to data published on CENI’s website.

Ghazouani had already declared himself the winner in the early hours of Sunday in the presence of current president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, his supporters and journalists.

The ballot is the first in Mauritania’s coup-strewn history that looks set to see an elected president complete his mandate and transfer power to an elected successor, although the opposition has raised concerns the vote could perpetuate a government dominated by military figures. Some 1.5 million people were eligible to vote Saturday in the vast, predominantly Muslim state, which is approximately twice the size of former colonial power France and has a population of just 4.5 million. Turnout was 62.68 percent, CENI said.

Out of the other five candidates, Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid came second with 18.58 percent of the votes and Mohamed Ould Boubacar followed in third place with 17.82 percent, the CENI data showed. Preliminary results had originally been expected on Monday.

– Ballot irregularities? –

CENI said in a statement that it would continue compiling the results from across the West African desert country before handing them over to the Constitutional Council. In the meantime, it said it “advises the candidates to show prudence and restraint,” and hoped the calm climate seen during the campaign and on voting day would prevail. Both Abeid and Boubacar had complained of balloting irregularities and the expulsion of representatives from some polling stations. However CENI said no major problems had been reported.

Abeid hit out at Ghazouani’s claim of victory “while the vote counting is still going on”. “Ghazouani’s announcement constitutes a falsehood,” he said. Ghazouani — who campaigned on the themes of continuity, solidarity and security for the Saharan nation — served as Abdel Aziz’s chief of staff from 2008 to last year.

The outgoing president is a general who originally came to power in a 2008 coup, won elections a year later and was again elected in 2014 in polls boycotted by the opposition. Abdel Aziz, who has repeatedly warned that the country could fall back into instability if his chosen candidate is not elected, is credited with reforming the army, clamping down on jihadists and pushing to develop remote regions.

Nevertheless, rights groups have accused the government of restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, while calling on the nation to do more to counter violence against women and slavery, which persists in the deeply-conservative state although it was officially abolished in 1981.

Authorities rejected an opposition request for foreign observers at the election. All of the candidates promised improvements in the standard of living, though economic growth at 3.6 percent in 2018 is insufficient to meet the needs of a fast-growing population, according to the World Bank. The World Bank has welcomed the “macro-economic stabilisation” of the country, where annual growth is expected to average 6.2 percent between 2019 and 2021. But it has called for barriers to be removed in the private sector, pointing in particular to corruption, as well as difficult access to credit.

By AFP

Profile

Mohamed Ould Ghazouani

This article is part of a series about
Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
Military career
Political career
9th President of Mauritania

Mohamed Ould Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed Ould Ghazouani (Arabic: محمد ولد الشيخ محمد أحمد ولد الغزواني; born 4 December 1956), also known as Ghazouani[3] and Ould Ghazouani,[4] is a Mauritanian politician and retired army general who has served as the 9th President of Mauritania since 2019,[5][6] and the chairperson of the African Union since February 2024.[7]

Ghazouani is a former general-director of National Security[2] and former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of Mauritania (2008–2018).[8] He was defense minister of Mauritania from October 2018 to March 2019.[9][10] At that time a close ally of his predecessor Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, he was elected president of Mauritania on 22 June 2019 following the 2019 presidential election.[6] His victory in the 2019 presidential election was presented as having been the country's first peaceful transition of power since independence.[11]

Ghazouani has overseen a period of relative stability in Mauritania. He has worked to improve social security and combat corruption, including the arrest of his predecessor. Ghazouani also played a crucial role in eliminating jihadist violence, modernizing the military, and engaging with communities and Islamist groups.[12]

Personal life

Ghazouani was born in Boumdeid, Assaba region on 4 December 1956.[13] He belongs to a well-known Sufi family in Mauritania. Ghazouani is the son of a spiritual leader of the Maraboutic tribe Ideiboussat.[14] Ghazouani has memorised the Quran.[15]

He is married to a doctor, Mariam Bint Mohamed Fadel Ould Dah.[14][16] They have five children, from whom Mohamed Lemine Ould Cheikh El-Ghazouani is the eldest son.[17]

Career

Military career

He joined the Mauritanian Army in the late 1970s. He continued his training as an officer in the Meknes Royal Military Academy in Morocco.[18][19][20] He received a baccalaureate degree, a master's degree in Administration and Military Sciences, and completed several war training certificates and courses.[17][21]

Ghazouani was aide-de-camp to President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya from 1987 to 1991.[22]

Ghazouani was an ally of former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz,[23] and was his partner in the overthrow of President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi in 2008, and was a member of the military junta that ousted former President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya in 2005.[24][10]

Political career

In October 2018, President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz named Ghazouani as Defense Minister of Mauritania.[10][25]

On 1 March 2019, Ghazouani announced his candidacy for the presidency, seeking to replace Abdel Aziz.[26][4][3] On 15 March he resigned as defense minister to pursue his presidential ambition.[27]

Presidency (2019–)

On 22 June 2019, Ghazouani became Mauritania's elected president after a presidential election against five other candidates.[17] On 1 August 2019, he was officially sworn in as the 9th President of Mauritania.[28]

Shortly after being sworn in, his relations with former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz soured, due to revelations of financial misconduct committed by the former president. A parliamentary probe was opened into Aziz’s activities in August 2020, and he was officially sentenced in December 2023. Aziz claimed that Ghazouani had given the former president two large bags filled with seven million euros after being elected.[29]

As defense minister and president, Ghazouani significantly contributed to defeating al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, which had carried out deadly attacks in Mauritania from 2005 to 2011. His efforts, including community outreach, mediation with Islamist groups, and military upgrades, have been considered effective against armed militant Jihadists.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Colonel Felix Negri, Chief of National Army Staff from 24 December 2007 to 13 May 2008". Mauritanian National Army (in Arabic). 15 August 2012.
  2. ^ a b "السيرة الذاتية للفريق محمد ولد الغزواني - أقــــلام حرة". aqlame.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b "غزواني يعلن ترشحه للانتخابات الرئاسية". 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b "ولد الغزواني: للعهد عندي معناه، وأسعى لتحقيق طموح الشعب". الأخبار: أول وكالة أنباء موريتانية مستقلة. 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Ghazouani sworn in as new Mauritanian president: CENI". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Mauritania Constitutional Council Confirms Mohamed Ould Ghazouani as President". Voice of America. July 2019. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  7. ^ "President of Mauritania Elected As New Chairperson of AU". ENA English. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Mohamed Ould Ghazouani Declares himself Winner of Mauritania Presidential Polls". Asharq AL-awsat. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  9. ^ "صديق الرئيس وزيرا للدفاع.. ماذا يرتّب جنرالات موريتانيا قبيل الرئاسيات؟". www.aljazeera.net. Archived from the original on 27 January 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, Mauritania's new president". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  11. ^ "First peaceful transfer of power in Mauritania's presidential polls". RFI. 22 June 2019. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Mauritania is a beacon of stability in the coup-prone Sahel". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  13. ^ سيدي, أحمد ولد. "من هو الرئيس الموريتاني الجديد؟". alaraby. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  14. ^ a b Spiegel, Justine (20 November 2012). "Mauritanie: Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, l'homme de l'ombre". Jeune Afrique. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  15. ^ "رئيس موريتانيا الجديد.. حفظ القرآن مبكرا وهو أول "فريق" في الجيش". الأخبار. 3 August 2019. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  16. ^ "في أول ظهور إعلامي لها زوجة وزير الدفاع ومرشح الرئاسيات ولد الغزواني تتحدث في مقابلة | الحقيقة". www.alhakika.info. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  17. ^ a b c "محمد ولد الشيخ الغزواني.. من هو رئيس موريتانيا الجديد؟". سكاي نيوز عربية. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  18. ^ "AMI - Mohamed Cheikh El Ghazwani". olden.ami.mr. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Mauritanie : Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, l'homme de l'ombre – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 20 November 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Mauritanie. Ghazouani: qui est le nouveau président mauritanien?". Le 360 Afrique (in French). Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  21. ^ Welle, Deutsche (23 June 2019). "Mauritania: Former General Mohamed Ould Ghazouani wins presidential election". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Biographie du president". presidence.mr.
  23. ^ "Mauritania opposition challenges ruling party win". 24 June 2019. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019 – via www.bbc.com.
  24. ^ "ولد الغزواني، جنرال "يخلف" جنرالاً في حكم موريتانيا". BBC News عربي. 24 June 2019. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  25. ^ "Mauritania appointments reflect jockeying for succession | Lamine Ghanmi". AW. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  26. ^ "وزير الدفاع الموريتاني يخلع بزته العسكرية لخلافة رفيقه في القصر". www.aljazeera.net. Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  27. ^ "Mauritania's electoral commission confirms Ghazouani win | The Star". thestar.com. 24 June 2019. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  28. ^ "New government formed in Mauritania". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  29. ^ "Mauritania ex-president Aziz sentenced to 5 years for corruption". France 24. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  • Media related to Mohamed Ould Ghazouani at Wikimedia Commons
  • Quotations related to Mohamed Ould Ghazouani at Wikiquote
  • Mauritania President Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani Addresses 78th UNGA
  • Mohamed Ould Cheikh AI- Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Cur rent president of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union
Political offices
Preceded by President of Mauritania
2019–present 		Incumbent
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Ould_Ghazouani

 

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