Highlights: The campaign for the legislative, regional and municipal elections on 13 May ends on 11 May. This year, a novelty, among the elections: all parties must present a young national list. The opportunity for the latter to better represent young people in the national assembly. Twenty-five parties will compete for the vote of nearly 1.8 million voters in this first election since Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani took over the leadership of the country in 2019. In Mauritania, more than 78% of the population is between 14 and 35 years old.

In Mauritania, the campaign for the legislative, regional and municipal elections on 13 May ends on 11 May. This year, a novelty, among the elections: all parties must present a...

Mauritanian elections: how candidates under 35 want to better represent young people

Moulaye Abdel (center, in blue), candidate for the deputation of the Sursaut for the Youth of the Nation party, for the elections of May 13, 2023 in Mauritania. © Léa Breuil/RFI

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

In Mauritania, the campaign for the legislative, regional and municipal elections on 13 May ends on 11 May. This year, novelty, among the elections: all parties must present a young national list, with candidates under 35 years old and a ballot will be dedicated to them on D-Day. The opportunity for the latter to better represent young people in the national assembly. Report.

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With our correspondent in Nouakchott, Léa Breuil

This is one of the last major events of the traditional opposition party RFD before the end of the campaign for Mauritania's legislative, regional and municipal elections.

The opportunity for Maimouna Dialo, 31, candidate on the national youth list, to meet them. For her, this new list, which this year will grant 11 seats to young MPs, is a first victory for young people. "It's going to change a lot of things because we're going to be in the assembly and express ourselves," she said. There is a lot of unemployment, no youth employment, not enough training centres. That's why we're involved in politics."

On the side of the Sursaut pour la jeunesse party, the so-called majority party, for Moulaye Abdel, candidate for the deputation, the challenge of these elections is also to interest young people. And for that, nothing like it, according to him, than the use of social networks: "I boosted my Facebook page, I put videos. I can tell you that in two days, we had an audience of more than 30,000 people. It is an electorate that will stay in its corner and we did well to look for it on social networks.

In Mauritania, more than 78% of the population is between 14 and 35 years old. Another novelty: these three national lists must also include at least two people with disabilities.

>> Read also: Legislative, regional and municipal in Mauritania: last straight of the campaign

Mauritanians must elect 176 deputies, 15 regional councils and 238 municipal councils.

Twenty-five parties will compete for the vote of nearly 1.8 million voters in this first election since Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani took over the leadership of the country in 2019.

Mauritanian elections: how candidates under 35 want to better represent young people

Mauritanian elections: how candidates under 35 want to better represent young people

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