El-Khadir Lamine, an 18-year-old student voting for the first time, said he was hoping for “new opportunities for young people”. For the first time, voters can choose a list for candidates younger than 35, for whom 11 seats will be automatically attributed in the National Assembly. Results from the first round of voting are expected within 48 hours of poll closings. A second round is scheduled for May 27 for half of the 176 National Assembly seats.
Cost-of-living concerns
Ghazouani, 66, is a general considered one of the main architects of Mauritania’s success against jihadism, in his former role as army chief. The country’s population is divided between Arab-Berber Moors, Afro-Mauritanian descendants of slaves, and other groups of sub-Saharan African origin.
Ghazouani made the fight against poverty one of his priorities, carrying out an ambitious social programme that has included distributing food and money to the poorest. But the economy has slowed since the Covid-19 pandemic, and rising inflation due to the war in Ukraine has put cost-of-living concerns for the forefront.
El Insaf had a comfortable majority in the previous parliament, and analysts have predicted little threat from rival parties. The Tewassoul Islamists are seeking a strict application of Islamic law, and are again expected to be the main opposition group in parliament. Sawab is allied with the anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, the runner-up in the last presidential election, who has long advocated for the descendants of slaves, a community to which he belongs.
