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| Turnout | 64.58% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 Mauritania portal |
Presidential elections were held in Mauritania on 18 July 2009. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who led the 2008 coup d'état, won a narrow first-round majority in the election, according to official results. A second round, if necessary, would have been held on 1 August 2009.
Following the coup which deposed President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi on 6 August 2008, the new junta (the High Council of State) promised that a presidential election would be held "as soon as possible".[1] The election was subsequently scheduled for 6 June 2009.[2]
Abdel Aziz, who was President of the High Council of State, stepped down in April 2009 in order to stand as a candidate. The opposition initially planned to boycott the election, arguing that the junta pursued a unilateral electoral agenda, and as a result Abdel Aziz was widely expected to win the election.[3] Later, however, the opposition agreed to participate as part of a deal with the junta in June 2009, making the election appear more competitive; as part of the deal, the election was delayed to July and a national unity government was formed to lead the country through the election period.
- ^ "Mauritania coup leader vows quick presidential poll" Archived 2011-05-20 at the Wayback Machine. AFP. August 17, 2008.
- ^ Mauritania to hold presidential election 6 June Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine. Afrique en ligne. January 23, 2009
- ^ Vincent Fertey, "Boycott could see Aziz triumph at the polls" Archived 2006-06-15 at the Wayback Machine, Reuters (IOL), April 23, 2009.