20 July - Mauritania’s former junta leader, Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz has won the weekend presidential polls with the light victory, the Interior Minister announced in a statement.

The Interior Ministry said Mr Abdelaziz had 51 percent of the vote, compared with 17 percent for parliament speaker Messaoud Ould Boulkheir and 12 percent for veteran opposition leader Ahmed Ould Daddah.

However, the four presidential contenders have rejected the provisional results stemming from the polling stations throughout Mauritania, saying there was widespread rigging, aimed at legitimising the military rule.

The opposition has also called on the international community to institute a probe into the disputed polls.

General Abdelaziz seized power in a coup last August throwing the country into the crisis after toppling the democratically-elected President Ould Cheikh Abdullahi. In Mauritania's first democratic elections, held in 2007, the opposition leader lost in the second round against Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.

The African Union observer group to Mauritania's presidential election is scheduled to release its findings on the weekend polls later today.

The presidential elections which were initially set for 6 June and were postponed to 18 July saw a voter turnout of 61 percent according to the election commission.

The Mauritania's military rulers and the opposition leaders signed an agreement to end a political crisis in June, under which the former junta leader Gen Abdelaziz suspended his campaign in the presidential elections.

The deal struck after a marathon talks involving local parties and the international mediators also envisages the formation of a unity government. The deal also foresees the return of press freedom and equal access by political players to the media during the electoral campaigns.

By staff writer

© afrol News