Mauritania’s Islamist party names first presidential candidate since 2009

Mauritania's Islamist opposition party, Tewassoul, has nominated its leader, Hamadi Ould Sid' El Moctar, as its presidential candidate for the June 29 election, AFP reports. This is the first time since 2009 that they have fielded a candidate. Legalized in 2007, Tewassoul has become the primary opposition party in Mauritania's parliament.

President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani has been in power since 2019, and is expected to win a second term. He is acknowledged to have brought a measure of stability to the Sahel region as it confronts a rising tide of jihadism.

Tewassoul said it had decided to filed a candidate after a long debate which concluded  there was a "need to change the deplorable situation into which the regime has plunged the country". 

Nearly a dozen other candidates have entered the race including human rights activist Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid, who came second in the 2019 vote.

Mauritania suffered a series of coups from 1978 to 2008, before the 2019 election saw the first transition between two elected presidents. While jihadism has spread elsewhere in the Sahel, particularly inneighbouring Mali, Mauritania has not seen an attack since 2011.