Mauritania's Ghazouani wins re-election with 56.12% of vote

Ghazouani placed well ahead of his main rival, anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, who won 22.10 percent of votes in Saturday's election, according to results announced by CENI chief Dah Ould Abdel Jelil.

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Mauritanians go to the polls Saturday to decide whether to re-elect President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani as head of the vast desert state, seen as a rock of relative stability in the volatile Sahel. Around 1.9 million registered voters are set to choose between seven candidates vying to lead the West African nation, which has largely withstood the tide of jihadism in the region and is set to become a gas producer. (Photo by AFP)P