Nouakchott - Mauritania elects a civilian president on Sunday who is to take over from the military junta which toppled the former autocratic ruler, marking the final leg of the road to democracy in the poverty-stricken nation. Power has never before changed hands through elections in the former French colony, whose history has been marked by coups and military takeovers since independence in 1960. About 1,1 million people will be called to the ballot boxes to choose one out of 19 presidential candidates in a poll seen as the freest in nearly 50 years. Five months later the junta organised local government and legislative elections which international observers said were free and fair. Senatorial elections were held in January this year and the presidential poll is the final stage in the democratic transition process.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 13, 2017 06:11 UTC