News -> Mauritania presidential election, 2014 2014-06-21
President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has not yet announced his candidacy, but his party has asked him to run again. The party, the Union of the Republic, secured a majority of seats in last year's parliamentary elections, which were boycotted by much of the opposition.
Aziz came to power in a 2008 coup, ousting the country's first democratically elected leader. He won presidential elections the following year and has since become a key ally of the West in the fight against terrorism in the Sahara.
In a statement published overnight, the president's office said elections will be held June 21 and, if needed, a second round will take place July 5.
