Voters in Mauritania today head to the polls to pick their next president, in what is expected to be the country’s first peaceful transfer of power since it won independence from France in 1960.
More than a million people are eligible to vote in Saturday’s election while six candidates will be competing for the presidency
Some of the candidates include former Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, and a well-known activist and anti-slavery campaigner, Biram Dah Abeid.
During a press statement on Friday, the country’s electoral commission promised a free and fair election, despite claims by the opposition that it is biased in favour of the governing party.
Meanwhile the press authority also confirmed that it had received no complaints about the coverage of the campaign.
The most critical issue on the campaign trail has been the standard of living, which every candidate has promised to improve.
Incumbent President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz will not contest the election after serving two five-year terms, despite opposition fears that he was plotting a tenure extension.
The 62-year-old came to power in a coup in 2008, and went on to win elections in 2009 and 2014.
The frontrunner is Mohamed Ahmed Ould Ghazouani, the country’s defence minister and a close ally of the current president.
A runoff will be held on July 6 if there is no outright winner in Saturday’s vote.
