El Ghazouani retains Mauritania presidency.

Mauritania's incumbent president, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani has won the country's presidential election and will serve a second term. 

Ghazouani, 67, received 56.12 percent of the votes in the first round of the presidential election, far ahead of his major challenger, anti-slavery campaigner Biram Dah Abeid, who received 22.10 percent, Mauritania's Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI)reported on Monday.

 According to CENI, Ghazouani's major challenger, Hamadi Ould Sid' El Moctar, leader of the Tewassoul party, came in third place with 12.78 percent. Saturday's presidential election saw an aggregate turnout of 55.39 percent, which was lower than in 2019.

However, opponent Biram Dah Abeid stated that he would not recognize the results of CENI, which he accused of being controlled by the government. 

Some Abeid supporters demonstrated in the capital, Nouakchott, burning tyres and disrupting traffic.

“We did everything we could to prepare the conditions for a good election and we were relatively successful. I congratulate everyone,” CENI chief Dah Ould Abdel Jelil told journalists.

The election victory gives former army chief Ghazouani, 67, a second term as president of the huge desert country, which is seen as relatively stable in Africa's volatile Sahel area and is poised to become a gas producer.

Mauritania has not had an attack on its land in recent years, and Ghazouani, who presently chairs the African Union, has committed to address threats from such groups.