According to official results announced on Sunday, the ruling party in Mauritania, led by President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, achieved a comfortable victory in the recent legislative and local elections.

These elections served as a crucial test for Ghazouani ahead of the upcoming presidential poll in 2024. Since assuming power in 2019, Ghazouani has maintained relative stability in Mauritania, particularly amidst the escalating violence in the Sahel region.

While he has not confirmed his candidacy for re-election, it is widely expected that Ghazouani will seek another term.

Ghazouani’s party, El Insaf, emerged as the favorite among the 25 participating parties, garnering 80 out of the 176 seats in parliament.

An additional 36 seats went to parties allied with the president, while the opposition secured 24 seats, with the Islamist Tewassoul movement claiming nine of them.

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Tewassoul, advocating for a strict implementation of Islamic law, was the main opposition party in the previous parliament, where El Insaf enjoyed a comfortable majority.

El Insaf also achieved significant success in the regional and local elections, winning all 13 regional councils and 165 out of the 238 local constituencies.

However, the opposition has raised concerns about “massive fraud” during the elections. Despite the allegations, the official turnout was reported to be 71.8 percent.

President Ghazouani, a respected general and instrumental figure in Mauritania’s fight against jihadism during his tenure as army chief, is well-positioned to gain support, particularly from the rural electorate, as his party fielded candidates in all constituencies.

The outcome of these elections is expected to bolster Ghazouani’s prospects in the forthcoming presidential race.