Mauritanian ruling party sweeps 2nd-round assembly vote

By Mohamed al-Bakay

NOUAKCHOTT

Mauritania's ruling Union for the Republic (UPR) party has swept second-round parliamentary and local council elections, according to official results released by the country’s official electoral commission.

In a statement issued late Monday, the commission announced that the UPR had won all 22 parliamentary seats up for grabs in the poll’s second round.

This means the ruling party of President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz will control 89 of the 157 seats in Mauritania’s legislative assembly.

The UPR also clinched a majority in most of the country’s municipal councils, including five in capital Nouakchott.

The Islamic-oriented National Rally for Reform and Development came in second, winning 14 parliamentary seats, along with majorities in three of Nouakchott’s local councils.

The electoral commission, for its part, expressed its satisfaction with the “active participation of the Mauritanian people in the polls, reflecting the country’s continued commitment to democracy”.

On Saturday, Mauritanians cast ballots in a second-round vote for parliamentary and municipal seats, the first round of which was held on Sept. 1.

Mauritania is next slated to hold a presidential election sometime in mid-2019.