Mauritanian presidential contenders urge transparency

By Mohamed al-Bakay

NOUAKCHOTT (AA) - Four opposition presidential candidates on Wednesday called for changes to Mauritania’s official electoral commission in advance of presidential polls slated for later this year.

At a Wednesday press conference, the four warned against holding the election -- a date for which has yet to be set -- in a “non-transparent environment”.

The four opposition presidential contenders are Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubaker, a former prime minister; opposition politician Mohamed Ould Mouloud; rights activist Biram Ould Abeid; and Kane Hamidou Baba, an academician.

At Wednesday’s press conference, the four requested that changes be made to the electoral commission with a view to ensuring “basic standards of transparency”.

They also called for Mauritanian nationals living abroad to be granted the right to vote in the upcoming poll.

In January, incumbent Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz announced that he would not contest the election, dismissing calls for constitutional changes that would allow him to run for a third term in office.

While a date for the poll has yet to be announced, it is expected sometime before Ould Abdelaziz’s second term expires in June.