Mauritanian Leader Set to Win New Term amid Poll Boycott

Counting was underway in Mauritania's presidential election on Sunday with incumbent Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz expected to win handily after his main rivals boycotted a process they regard as a sham.

The former general, who seized power in the northwest African nation in an August 2008 coup, campaigned strongly on his success in fighting armed groups linked to al-Qaida at home and in neighboring Sahel nations.

Final results are due late Sunday or Monday, but a source close to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said there were early indications that Abdel Aziz was firmly ahead of anti-slavery candidate Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid.

According to the source, the president won 67 percent of the vote in the capital Nouakchott, while Ould Abeid came in at 19 percent. 

Abdel Aziz's campaign staff said their own figures suggested the incumbent had won 80 percent of the vote across the country, against 10 percent for Ould Abeid. 

Men and women voted separately across the country on Saturday, in accordance with the country's Islamic law, emerging from polling booths to stain their fingers with ink to show they had voted. 

One 70-year-old voter who gave his name only as Brahim said the country, wracked by jihadist violence up until 2010, "had found peace."

"That's important and I want it to continue because peace is irreplaceable."

Kidnappings and attacks by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) were frequent when Abdel Aziz came to power, but he boasts that he has turned his nation into a regional haven of peace thanks to his reorganization of the military and security forces.

The mainly Muslim republic, sandwiched between the west coast of Africa and the Sahara desert, is seen by Western leaders as a bulwark against al-Qaida-linked groups.

In 2010 and 2011, Mauritanian troops carried out successful "preventative" raids on AQIM bases in neighboring Mali, before the armed fundamentalists could carry out planned attacks on Mauritania.

But while many voters expressed support for Abdel Aziz's gains against militants, even his supporters were not content with security alone. 

The president "has achieved a lot for Mauritania, but we ask him for more", said Ould Bahaya Ikebra, a civil servant.

"We call on him to fight against unemployment, increase wages and lower prices," he said.

Opposition critics argue that the price of peace has been authoritarian rule and have decided to boycott a vote they regard as a sham.

Main opposition parties have never accepted Abdel Aziz's 2009 victory in an election they said was marred by massive fraud.

The National Forum for Democracy and Unity -- an opposition coalition of 11 parties including a moderate Islamist movement -- rallied to denounce Abdel Aziz's "dictatorial power" and were counting on a high abstention rate.

But as of 5:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Saturday, turnout was 46 percent, a source close to the electoral commission told AFP -- more or less consistent with previous presidential elections.

Abdel Aziz has four challengers who have highlighted many of the country's sensitive issues such as complex race relations between black Mauritanians and the dominant Arabs.

The only candidate from the black African south is Ibrahima Moctar Sarr, who argues that non-Arab Mauritanians are marginalized.

Ould Abeid, meanwhile, proclaims himself "the sole candidate drawn from disadvantaged levels of the people".

Himself a descendant of slaves, he heads a movement to end slavery which, while officially abolished in 1981, persists as a deeply entrenched practice documented by rights groups.

The only woman candidate is Lalla Mariem Mint Moulaye Idriss, 57, who has held several administrative posts and sought support from women and the youth.

While the country, which is nearly as big as Egypt, remains poor, it boasted a growth rate of six percent in 2013. Mauritania has produced oil since 2006 and is rich in iron ore as well as fish caught off its Atlantic coastline.