NOUAKCHOTT
Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on Wednesday said he would seek a second term in office in upcoming presidential elections.
"I will run in the election in response to demands by a wide section of the people," Abdel Aziz told reporters as he laid the foundation stone for a new medical institute in capital Nouakchott.
The first round of Mauritania's presidential election will be held on June 21 amid ongoing differences between the government and opposition over pre-election guarantees.
A presidential decree announced on state television on Sunday night called on presidential hopefuls to register their candidacies no later than May 5.
A runoff vote will be held on July 5, according to the decree.
The opposition has been calling for guarantees of fair and transparent elections, including impartiality on the part of the army, security forces and state institutions.
Abdel Aziz has said that he doesn't oppose the shuffle of the country's election commission. He has, however, rejected calls for a new government to oversee polling.
Abdel Aziz has been in office since 2009.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
