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Mauritania's opposition candidates cry foul as ex-general wins presidential poll

July 20, 2009 Edition 2

Sapa-AFP

NOUAKCHOTT: The former general who led the military coup that toppled Mauritania's first elected head of state in August has won the presidential election with 52.58 percent of the vote in provisional results, the interior minister has said.

Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz ran against eight other candidates.

Interior Minister Mohamed Ould Rzeizim dismissed opposition claims that the election had been a "charade".

"The elections took place in very good conditions." The results would go to the constitutional council for validation.

Four of the candidates, including the speaker of parliament, Messaoud Ould Boulkheir, denounced the "prefabricated results". They called for an independent commission to investigate reports of voting irregularities.

Ould Boulkheir gained the second-biggest share of the vote, 16.72 percent, Ahmed Ould Daddah, leader of the main opposition party, 13.86 percent, and Ould Mohamed Vall, who led an earlier junta in 2005 to 2007, 3.79 percent.

The electoral commission said the percentage poll was 61.5. - Sapa-AFP