Mauritania.. Urgent files on Ghazouani’s table in his second presidential term

Ahmed Murad (Cairo)

With the announcement of the victory of Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani for a second presidential term in the presidential elections held on Saturday, Mauritania enters a new phase of its political and economic development, amidst many challenges, both internally and externally.
Mauritanian experts and analysts, who spoke to Al-Ittihad, pointed to a group of urgent files, internal and external, on President Al-Ghazwani’s table.
President Ghazouani had obtained more than 56% of the votes of Mauritanian voters, numbering about 1.9 million voters, to win a second presidential term in the eighth presidential elections witnessed by Mauritania since the launch of the democratic pluralism process in 1992.
The Mauritanian writer, analyst, and former head of the Mauritanian Journalists Syndicate, Mohamed Salem Al-Dah, explained that Mauritania is approaching an important stage of political, economic, and legislative development in a manner that responds to the current security, social, and economic challenges, which places President Al-Ghazwani before many responsibilities during his second presidential term, which extends for the next five years.
Mohamed Salem Al-Dah called on President Al-Ghazouani to focus on choosing the team that will work with him during the next stage with great care, by involving qualified people and opening up to the elite.
The former head of the Mauritanian Journalists Syndicate said that President Ghazouani is required, during his new presidential term, to work intensively to support and assist young people who represent a large segment of Mauritanian society, and to work to combat corruption and unemployment through integrated economic, legal and legislative mechanisms that can be implemented on the ground, in addition to intensifying efforts aimed at achieving a development boom at all levels.
Mohamed Salem Al-Dah stated that the issue of irregular migration is one of the most prominent challenges facing Mauritania at present, especially since the country has become a transit and settlement destination for migrants, and is now hosting more than 150,000 displaced persons in the “Ambra” camps. Therefore, President Ghazouani is required to work on developing radical solutions to the refugee crisis to avoid its repercussions that may lead to complex economic and social imbalances, in addition to the security and social risks it represents as a result of the influx of migration waves from Africa towards Europe via Mauritanian territory.
The former head of the Mauritanian Journalists Syndicate also called for assigning responsibilities to those who are able to give based on their true competencies.
For his part, the Mauritanian analyst and writer, Abdel Samad Ould Embarek, explained that President Ghazouani is betting, during his second presidential term, on implementing what was stated in his electoral program, which is based on a set of broad lines, especially those related to security and development files, in line with the size of the challenges surrounding Mauritania, whether in its Arab circle or in its African circle.
The Mauritanian analyst and writer stated in a statement to Al-Ittihad that the disturbances and security tensions witnessed by neighboring countries in the African Sahel region constitute one of the biggest challenges facing Mauritania during President Ghazouani’s second presidential term, especially with the residents of Mauritanian border areas and villages being affected by the repercussions of the armed conflicts suffered by neighboring Mali, which requires President Ghazouani to maintain political, social and security stability to confront security threats coming from neighboring countries, in addition to working to improve the living conditions of citizens, enhance investment opportunities, and provide basic commodities.
Ambark said: Mauritania is heading towards an economic boom resulting from the exploitation of gas, oil and other natural resources that the country enjoys. In parallel, efforts must be intensified to combat administrative and financial corruption, and to bring about change and renewal within the political elites. He pointed out that President Ghazouani is betting on creating a common well-being for the Mauritanian people by relying on the social dimension in combating fragility, addressing social injustice and social disparities within the structure of Mauritanian society, in addition to creating a new dynamic with regard to the security and development files.