UPDATE – With 78% of votes counted, Mauritania's president leads in polls

UPDATES WITH DETAILS

By Muhammad Al-Bakai

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AA) – Incumbent Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani is leading in preliminary results of the country's presidential election held Saturday, with over 78% of votes counted.

El Ghazouani is leading the race with 55.32% of the vote, according to figures announced on Sunday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) after counting more than 78% of the ballots.

In second place was opposition candidate Biram Dah Abeid with 22.73%, followed by Hamadi Ould Sid' El Moctar, leader of the National Rally for Reform and Development Party, with 12.82%. Parliamentarian El-Aid Ould Mohamedan ranks fourth with 3.52%.

Politician Mamadou Boukari secured fifth place with 2.38%, while, opposition candidate and physician Outouma Soumare ranked sixth with 2.24%. Finance Inspector Mohamed Lamine Mourteji El Wafi finished last with 0.97%.

The committee reported that votes were counted in 3,523 out of 4,503 polling stations nationwide, accounting for 78.15% of the total.

The elections commission is expected to announce preliminary results of the presidential elections later on Sunday.

Mauritanians cast their ballots on Saturday to choose a new president among seven candidates.

There are 1.9 million registered voters in the North African country with a population of some 4.5 million, according to figures from the commission.

If none of the candidates are able to secure a majority, the top two candidates will go to a run-off on July 13.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi