Voters in Mauritania’s fledgling democracy head to the polls

Mohamed Ould Ghazouani expected to be re-elected in region of Africa where coups have been commonplace

An estimated 2 million people are expected to vote in the presidential election in Mauritania in what could be the desert nation's first civilian-to-civilian transition.

After independence from France in 1960, the west African state experienced multiple coups in the following years. The fledging democracy has been somewhat stable since 2019, when Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was elected president.