Mauritanians will head to the polls to elect their next head of state. The incumbent president, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, faces six challengers. Approximately 1.94 million voters are set to decide who will lead this rare beacon of stability in West Africa, which is also a future gas producer, for the next five years.
Today, June 27th, marks the final day of campaigning, with each candidate striving to energize their supporters and reiterate their key electoral promises.
As the last day of mobilization before the June 29th, 2024 presidential election unfolds, the seven candidates are making their final appeals. This election could potentially usher in the second democratic transition since the country’s independence, or see the re-election of the incumbent, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.
The campaign officially concludes at midnight tonight, as noted by our special correspondent Léa-Lisa Westerhoff. On this final day, most candidates have scheduled closing rallies in Nouakchott after spending the past ten days campaigning throughout the country.
For the opposition, the campaign in Nouakchott has largely relied on door-to-door canvassing and social media, primarily due to financial constraints, reports our correspondent Léa Breuil. By midday, election tents in the city center were still deserted but are expected to come alive with music and festivities in the evening.
The closing events are set to begin late in the afternoon with dual rallies at the former airport site in the capital. One will be led by the incumbent president, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, and the other by a fresh opposition figure, Dr. Outouma Soumaré, who is hosting a concluding concert.
Meanwhile, the Tawassoul party, the second-largest force in Parliament, has planned an event in a southwestern neighborhood of the capital. Another major contender, human rights activist Biram Dah Abeid, who finished second in the last presidential election, has chosen to end his campaign outside the capital, in Mauritania’s second-largest city, Nouadhibou.
These final hours are crucial for all candidates as they seek to solidify their support and convince the undecided voters in a country poised on the brink of significant political and economic changes.