Voters In Mauritania Go To The Polls Today To Elect A New President

DW: West African nation Islamic Republic of Mauritania heads to the polls

It's the first time voters are electing a successor to a democratically elected president in the West African state, whose history has been strewn with military coups. A former general is heavily tipped to win the vote.

Voters in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania went to the polls on Saturday to elect a new president as Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz prepares to step aside after serving two five-year elected terms.

Some 1.5 million people in the West African state are entitled to vote in the presidential election. Preliminary results are expected at the start of next week.

Economic issues dominated the election campaign, with the outgoing president largely credited with stabilizing the country after seizing power in a 2008 coup. Abdel Aziz was later elected as president in 2009 and 2014 in a vote boycotted by the main opposition parties.

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More News On Today's Presidential Election In Mauritania

Mauritania set for first democratic transition of power -- BBC
Mauritania votes as 1st peaceful transfer of power expected -- AP
Mauritania Votes in First Democratic Transition of Power -- VOA
Mauritania eyes peaceful transfer in presidential election -- Al Jazeera
Meet Mauritania's presidential candidates -- Middle East Eye

Mauritania's President Shot By Accident?

Mauritania Says Soldier Shot Leader by Accident -- New York Times

DAKAR, Senegal — The president of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, was shot and wounded while returning home from a country weekend on Saturday evening in what his spokesman said Sunday was an accidental shooting by a nervous soldier.

That explanation was echoed by the official Mauritanian news agency on its Web site, and by the wounded president himself in a halting televised declaration on the state broadcaster from his military hospital bed, shortly before being flown to Paris for further treatment on Sunday.

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More News On The Accidental Shooting Of The Mauritanian President

Mauritanian leader flown to France after shooting -- Reuters
Mauritania's president heads to France for treatment after shooting -- CNN
Mauritanian President Flown to France to Treat Injury -- Wall Street Journal
Mauritania’s President in France After ‘Accidental’ Shooting -- Voice of America
Mauritania's president shot by own army 'by mistake' -- The Guardian
Mauritania head Abdelaziz flies to France after shooting -- BBC
Wounded Mauritania president flown to Paris -- Al Jazeera
How the Injury to an African Dictator May Hobble France -- Vivienne Walt, Time

My Comment: An accidental shooting???? Something is not right here.

More Battles Reported Between Mauritian Forces And Islamic Militants

Islamist Militants Clash With Mauritanian Forces -- Christian Science Monitor

Two fights between the Mauritanian military and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb raises questions about the military's role fighting terror, an escalation of hostilities, and weapons sources.

Recently there have been two major fights between the Mauritanian military and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The first of these occurred in the Wagadou forest of Mali, near the border with Mauritania, on June 24. According to press reports, Mauritanian forces raided an AQIM camp with Malian help, killing over a dozen militants and sustaining two casualties. Malian troops reportedly captured nine militants near the forest on June 26. The second battle occurred yesterday in the Bassiknou region of eastern Mauritania (again, relatively close to the border). Reports say that AQIM attacked a Mauritanian army outpost, and that Mauritanian troops killed some twenty militants in a counterstrike.

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More News On Battles Between Mauritian Forces And Islamic Militants

Mauritania says kills six "terrorists" in clashes -- Reuters
6 suspected militants killed in Mauritania -- SFGate/AP
Mauritanian army kills 20 in Al-Qaeda attack: military -- AFP
Al-Qaeda attacks Mauritania army base -- News24
Mauritanian army repels al-Qaeda attack -- Magharebia
West Africa Rising: Libya war boosting Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb? -- Christian Science Monitor

Mauritania Coup Leaders Announce New Junta

From Yahoo News/AP:

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania - Renegade soldiers in Mauritania have announced a new junta will be led by the head of the country's presidential guard.

The news came after renegade army officers staged a coup early Wednesday and detained the president and prime minister, after they fired the desert country's top four military officials, the presidential spokesman said.

A brief announcement read over state television says the "state council" will be led by presidential guard chief Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. It gave no other details.

In recent weeks, lawmakers have accused the president of corruption and poor governance, and 69 of the country's 95 parliament members have called for his resignation.

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More News On Mauritania

Mauritania officer takes over president palace: report -- Yahoo News/Reuters
President detained in Mauritania coup -- Yahoo News/AFP
Mauritania forces stage coup after officers sacked -- Washington Post
This is a real coup d'etat -- IOL
Army Stages Coup In Mauritania -- SKY News
Mauritania army stages coup; junta takes charge -- Newsweek
Troops stage coup in Mauritania -- The Guardian
Mauritania suffers coup as president arrested -- Times Online
Troops stage coup in Mauritania -- BBC News
CHRONOLOGY-Mauritania gripped by another coup -- Reuters

My Comment: I guess some of the soldiers did not want to get fired from their jobs. Get ready for sanctions and suffering for the citizens of Mauritania.