Mauritania goes to poll

The people of Islamic Republic of Mauritania on Saturday went to the polls to vote for the next president to replace President Ould Abdel Aziz. He is stepping down after serving two five-year terms as stipulated by the constitution.

Polls opened at 7 am local time (0700 GMT), reported African News Agency.

The incumbent president, who positioned himself as an ally of the west in the fight against the Islamic militants, is supporting Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, a 62 year-old former general and defense minister.

Five other candidates are also on the ballot including a prominent anti-slavery campaigner and a former Prime Minister, Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, who is tipped as Ghazouani's main rival.

The Northwest African country has 1.5 million eligible voters, according to the official figures. The constitution stipulates for a runoff if no candidate gets 50 percent of the votes, which would be held on July 6.

Early results are expected at the start of next week.

The African country is the eleventh largest sovereign state in Africa and is rich in fish stocks and mineral wealth. The World Bank estimates the population to be about 4.42 million in 2017 with more than half relying on pastoralism and rain-fed subsistence agriculture.

The World Bank said Mauritania'a GDP growth has been on an upwards growth since 2015, rising from 3 percent in 2017 to 3.6 percent in 2018. The unemployment rate is estimated at 40 percent.