An electoral banner for Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Ghazouani is placed during a campaign rally, ahead of the presidential elections in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on June 26, 2024. Banner in Arabic reads: “Safe choice.”
| Photo Credit: AP

Incumbent Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani was set to win a comfortable majority in the Mauritanian presidential election, the electoral commission said on Sunday, with most of the ballots counted.

Mauritanians voted on Saturday to choose between seven candidates vying to lead the sprawling nation, which has largely withstood the tide of jihadism in the region and set to become a gas producer.

With 90% of the votes counted by Sunday afternoon, national election commission Ceni forecast that former general Ghazouani would garner more than 55% of votes cast.

That would allow him to comfortably see off rival and human rights campaigner Biram Dah Abeid, who Ceni predicted would win 22% of the vote.

Ghazouani’s other main rival, leader of the Islamist Tewassoul party, Hamadi Ould Sid’ El Moctar, was currently counted as holding 13% of the vote.