Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani was sworn in for a second five-year term on Thursday, pledging to “fight relentlessly against mismanagement and corruption” during a ceremony in the capital Nouakchott attended by several foreign delegations.
“The fight against corruption will be the responsibility of all of us, the administration, the judiciary, civil society and the press,” Ghazouani said at the Almoravid Palace on the outskirts of the capital. “It is a fight that begins by overcoming the resistance that opposes it.”
The President thanked the Mauritanians for his re-election.
He reiterated his commitment to “do everything in his power to live up to their aspirations and realize their hopes” in his inauguration speech, attended by six African heads of state. Morocco and Algeria were represented by their heads of government.
Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani won the presidential election held on June 30 in the first round with 56.12% of the vote, ahead of his historical opponent Biram Dah Abeid (22.10%) and the Islamist candidate Hamadi Ould Sidi El Mokhtar (12.78%).
Ghazouani, 67, who was elected in the first round in 2019, will lead this vast desert nation between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa for a five-year term, an oasis of stability in a region turbulent with jihadist activities, coups and a future gas producer.
This country of 4.9 million people has not seen a jihadist attack on its territory since 2011, while it is intensifying in Mali and elsewhere in the Sahel region.
Since its independence from France in 1960, Mauritania has experienced a series of coups and authoritarian regimes. The 2019 elections marked the first transition between two elected presidents.
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