Rhino: Agencies – Preliminary results of Mauritania’s presidential election on Sunday showed a large lead for President Mohamed wald Ghazouani with 91 per cent of the votes counted in Saturday’s election.

Results posted on the website of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) showed that as of 1440 GMT, Ghazouani, 67, a former senior army officer, had 55.72 per cent of the vote and was widely expected to win the election in the first round.

The results came after votes were counted in 4,068 out of 4,503 polling stations.

Ghazouani’s main rival, prominent anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, received 22.46 per cent, while Hamadi Sidi Mokhtar of the Islamist Tawasul party received 13 per cent.

The Election Commission said yesterday’s turnout was just under 55 per cent.