UN Secretary-General Antonió Gutteres has welcomed the “peaceful conduct” of the Mauritanian elections that took place on 1 September.
Voting took place at a parliamentary, regional and municipal level, with some 98 political parties contesting seats, significantly more than in the last ballot, held five years ago.
When that poll was held, in 2013, it was boycotted by opposition groups: this time there has reportedly been broad participation with, for the first time, the election of regional councils which will replace the upper house of parliament, the Senate. New Presidential elections are due to take place in 2019.
In a statement issued by his Spokesman, Mr. Guterres, who has closely followed developments in the Northwest African nation, encouraged “all parties to continue to act in a peaceful manner, during and after the announcement of the results.”
“He further calls on political leaders and electoral contestants to resolve disputes through dialogue and in accordance with the law”, the statement concluded.
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