Over 1.9 million Mauritanians have been called to the polls today, all to elect their president. This time, seven men present themselves to Mauritanians for democratic change or the re-election of incumbent President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, bidding for a second term in office.
Head of State Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, whose policy is to ensure continuity and stability, faces competition from six civilian rivals promising democratic change in this predominantly militarily-ruled country, anti-corruption programs, and youth job creation.
The six opposition contenders who are calling for change include two faces from past contests: Biram Dah Abeid, deputy and veteran human rights campaigner who finished runner-up in the last two presidential polls, and Mohamed Lemine Elwavi, Mauritanian Treasury official and former tax inspector.
The other four rivals were new faces in Mauritanian politics: Hamadi Ould Sid’ El Moctar, a preacher representing the Islamist party Tawassoul, which secured fourteen seats in the last legislative elections, against expectations; Mamadou Bocar Ba, a retired mathematics teacher and former inspector of secondary education; El id Mohameden M’bareck, a lawyer and deputy from the Republican Front for Unity and Democracy, Frud coalition; and Outouma Soumare, a neurosurgery professor.
The election will be driven, perhaps decisively, by the youth vote. With 60% of its population below 25 years—the highest rate in the world, according to the World Bank—and 24% of 15-24-year-olds out of work, according to the International Labour Organization, there is a heady potential for an influence of the youth vote in the outcome.
Compared with former elections, the number of international observers is low: only thirty from the African Union, six from the Francophonie, and three electoral experts dispatched by the European Union. On top of that, the National Observatory, a structure set up by the government whose impartiality is put into question by the opposition, plans to deploy 750 national observers.
Mauritanians go to the polls Saturday in an election that could see a shift in leadership and policies as young people calling for change are pressing for action against unemployment and corruption. At stake in this election will be whether Mauritania continues being led by Ghazouani or embarks on a new journey with one of the opposition candidates.