Mauritania's former military leader Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz on Sunday claimed a sweeping victory as results came in from Saturday's presidential election, which the opposition described as a rigged charade, according to dpa. Abdel Aziz, who ousted democratically elected president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi in a 2008 coup, took 52.4 per cent of the vote, according to national results given by representatives of the national electoral commission. Votes from Mauritanians overseas must still be tabulated. The unexpectedly strong victory of the 53-year-old general made a second round of voting unnecessary in the north-west African Islamic republic. Abdel Aziz came far ahead of his challengers, with parliamentary president Messaoud Ould Boulkheir coming next with 16.8 per cent of the vote and veteran opposition leader Ahmed Ould Daddah third with 13.7 per cent. Ibrahima Sarr, who seeks equal rights for blacks in the country dominated by lighter-skinned Arab-Berbers, was fourth with 5 per cent. He was followed by Jemil Ould Mansour, Mauritania's first Islamist presidential candidate, with 4.6 per cent. "I am happy that the majority of the Mauritanian people has spoken out in favour of my programme of prosperity and fight against corruption," Abdel Aziz said. Boulkheir, Daddah and Vall alleged fraud, calling on Mauritanians to mobilize against Abdel Aziz' "electoral coup." "Aziz falsified voting cards, (voters') identities and bought the conscience of voters," Boulkheir said at a press conference. "We refuse to recognize the results and ask the international community to create a commission of inquiry," Boulkheir said. International observers representing the Algerian government and Sahelian states, however, described the poll as transparent. Abdel Aziz ousted Cheikh Abdallahi, who had only been president for 17 months, in a bloodless coup in August 2008. Cheikh Abdallahi was regarded as the first democratically elected president in the Saharan country, which has experienced around a dozen coups or coup attempts and the 1984-2005 dictatorship of Maaouya Ould Taya since becoming independent from France in 1960. Abdel Aziz stepped down as junta leader to contest the presidential elections, which were postponed by six weeks and reorganized under pressure from the international community to persuade the main opposition parties to lift their boycott. Transparent elections were seen as necessary for the European Union and the United States to resume the aid flow to the desert country where nearly half of the 3 million population lives officially in poverty. Abdel Aziz, who was formerly Taya's security chief, campaigned on populist promises of reducing poverty and improving infrastructure. He was popular among the poorer classes after lowering the prices of foodstuffs and other basic products while in power. Mauritania's 1.2 million eligible voters were given the choice between a total of nine candidates. Restoring the flow of foreign aid would be important for impoverished Mauritania, the economy of which is based mainly on livestock, iron ore mining and fishing. Mauritania is also among Africa's new oil producers, though production is now running at only about 15,000 barrels a day. The West is concerned about the possibility of Mauritania becoming an al-Qaeda hideout. Hours before voting began on Saturday, a shoot-out broke out in Nouakchott between police and two men, one of whom was injured. The two were then detained as suspects in the June 23 fatal shooting of US teacher Christopher Leggett, for which al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility.
