Mauritania's interim President, Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, will not stand candidate in next year's presidential elections.

© Marie-Pierre Olphand/Irin/afrol News

afrol News, 20 November - Although the counting is still going on in the Mauritanian legislative and municipal elections, it is already clear that two former opposition parties - Popular Progressive Alliance (PPA) and Assembly of Democratic Forces (ADF) - are said to be neck-to-neck. The two parties probably swept the polls in the country's two most popular regions.

In the Sunday elections, over a million voters were to elect 95 lawmakers and 219 local government councillors. 1,600 candidates for the seats representing 30 candidates have taken part in the polls.

Already, PPA beat its rivals in the capital Nouakchott, preliminary results indicate. But the party's leader Messaoud Ould Boulkher said a lot of work lied ahead of the new administration.

"We aim to improve the situation for everyone," Mr Boulkher said, adding that majority of the population does not yet have clean water, roads or electricity. They do not even have access to good schools or a health system."

It is also reported that ADP - which is led by Ahmed Ould Daddah, the former arch opponent of the deposed President, Mauouiaya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya - is also going to clinch several districts in Nouakchott.

ADP also led in the Tarza province of southern Mauritania, which is close to the Senegalese border. At least 30 percent of Mauritanian voters reside in the capital and Tarza regions, thus indicating that PPA and ADP would achieve good results on a countrywide level.

Besides, Islamist candidates - most of who ran on independent tickets - are also said to be faring well, according to local sources. This was despite indications before the elections that the semi-legalised groups had little popular support.

But the party of the former President is reported to be in third position although it has failed to capture a single municipality in the capital.

International observers that monitored the elections, which came after the overthrow of a more than 20 year dictatorship rule of President Ould Taya, hailed Mauritanians for voting in a peaceful, transparent and fair manner.

Also, all the parties to the elections endorsed the elections yesterday. The voter turnout was expected to be standing at around 70 percent.

The current interim President of Mauritania - Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, who toppled Mr Ould Taya in a popular coup in August last year - was also among yesterday's voters in central Nouakchott. Colonel Vall did not reveal which party he opted for, and the military junta ruling the country has not established any ruling party. Mr Vall has promised not to stand candidate in the presidential polls early next year.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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