Mauritanians flock to polls
2003-11-07 13:44
Nouakchott - Voters in the northwest African desert country of Mauritania went to polls on Friday in tense presidential elections overshadowed by arrests of opponents and fears of rigging.
President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya guaranteed that the elections would be transparent, but such assurances did not dispel concern that he might be determined to stay in power after ruling the Islamic nation for 19 years.
New voter cards, Internet electoral lists and the presence of opposition observers at polling stations guaranteed transparency, Ould Taya, 62, told reporters.
Voter turnout appeared high in the capital Nouakchott, where voters deposited their ballots under the watchful eye of police.
About a million Mauritanians were eligible to vote in the third multiparty elections since Ould Taya toppled military ruler Mohammed Khouna Ould Haidallah in a 1984 coup.
After retiring from politics for years, 63-year-old Ould Haidallah staged a surprise comeback, and was seen as the candidate with the best chances of defeating Ould Taya.
The former iron-fist ruler was detained briefly on the eve of the election, with the regime alleging that he had prepared to seize power in a coup.
Several of his collaborators remained under detention. Ould Haidallah called for clean elections and accused the regime of a campaign of intimidation.
The opposition says Ould Taya rigged the two previous multiparty presidential elections in 1992 and 1997.
Ould Taya is credited with overseeing a steady economic growth in the former French colony of 2.7 million, consisting mainly of the Sahara desert, with few resources other than iron ore and fisheries.
He has also preserved stability in a country surrounded by political flashpoints.
Opponents accuse the regime of corruption and political repression. Ould Taya has also angered many Mauritanians by switching from supporting former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to pro-US policies, which led him to establish diplomatic relations with Israel in 1999.
Ould Taya's position was further weakened by a military coup attempt which aborted in June. The renegade officers are believed to have had the backing of Islamic fundamentalists, who have now rallied behind Ould Haidallah.
The Ould Taya regime regards Islamists as potential subversives, and detained dozens of clerics earlier this year.
Ould Haidallah has attracted a wide following, which also comprises Arab nationalists and liberal reformers.
If no candidate achieves more than half of the vote in the first round, a run-off will be held between the two leading candidates two weeks later. - Sapa-DPA
- SAPA