Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani has been re-elected for a second term following Saturday's presidential elections, the National Independent Electoral Commission announced on Monday morning. 

Ghazouani won over 56.12% of the two million registered votes as the elections scored a 55.39% turnout, securing victory over the six opposition candidates.

“We will not accept these results from the so-called independent electoral commission," said second-place candidate and human rights activist Biram Dah Abeid, citing the provisional results as an "electoral coup."

"We will use our own electoral commission to proclaim the results,” he said during a news conference on Sunday.

Last weekend, opposition candidate El Mokhtar, who received 12.76% of votes, warned that his political party would reject the results if he suspected rigging. A similar incident happened in 2019, where some opposition candidates also speculated about the election's credibility, resulting in minor protests.

President Ghazouani

President Ghazouani was a former army chief before he assumed office in 2019, where he secured 52% of the vote, becoming the country's first democratic president following Mauritania's long history of coups and military regimes since 1978.

Ghazouani has pledged to boost investment in the energy and mining industries, and proposed to establish a national agency to conduct training, employment, education, and funding for small and medium-sized businesses, aiming to bolster youth employment. Additionally, he has promised to counter the escalating militant threats in neighboring Sahel countries, including Mali.