Mauritanians handed acting
President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
© WikipediaPresident Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz a fresh mandate by a large margin, the country's election commission said late Sunday. Abdel Aziz, who first came to power in a 2008 coup, was re-elected with nearly 82 percent of the vote, the commission said in announcing its provisional results. His nearest rival, Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid, won nearly 9 percent of the vote, while two other contenders, Boidiel Ould Houmeid and Ibrahim Moctar Sarr, both received about 4.5 percent.

The turnout was just over 56 per cent, the commission said, adding that the polls had been an opportunity to help "democratic practices take root in our country."

The north-west African Islamic republic has a total population of 3.8 million people.

The National Forum for Democracy and Unity, a group of Mauritania's main opposition parties, boycotted the election, accusing Abdel Aziz of trying to rig the vote, reports DPA.

Polls opened on Saturday in an election in Mauritania widely expected to hand a new term in office to ex-army general and President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

In several polling stations in the capital Nouakchott, small groups lined up before polls officially opened at 0700 GMT.

More than 1.3 million people are called to vote in the vast Arabic-speaking, largely desert country linking North and sub-Saharan Africa.

Abdel Aziz, who seized power in a 2008 coup, is poised to romp to victory as the main opposition parties have vowed to boycott the vote.

Opposition politicians have never accepted Abdel Aziz's 2009 election victory they say was marred by massive fraud.

The 57-year-old has built his career on a decisive campaign against Al-Qaeda extremists in Mauritania, viewed by the West as a strategically important location in the battle against militants across the region, AFP reports.