Ten candidates have come forward for the July 18 presidential election in Mauritania, according to a list released Wednesday by the constitutional council. Campaigning is scheduled to begin on Thursday, though the Mauritanian News Agency (MNA) reports that the candidate list remains “provisional,” according to the council.
Following the end of an international effort to resolve a political crisis that began with a military coup last August, six new candidates have come forward—including three opposition leaders.
The three opposition leaders include Ahmed Ould Daddah, head of the main opposition party Rally of Democratic Forces, parliamentary speaker Messaoud Ould Boulkeir of the National Front for the Defence of Democracy, and Jemil Ould Mansou, leader of the Islamist party Tewassoul.
The African Union’s Peace and Security Council congratulated “the return to constitutional order” in Mauritania. The AU asked that “efforts are undertaken to ensure that the election unfolds with transparency, fairness and freedom required.”
© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
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