NOUAKCHOTT: For the first time in 59 years of independence, Mauritanians will vote on Saturday for a successor to a democratically-elected president. Mauritania, officially called the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country located in Northwest Africa. It is the eleventh largest sovereign state in Africa.

Polls open at 7 a.m. (0700 GMT) in the election to replace President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz, 62, who since seizing power in a 2008 coup has positioned himself as an ally of Western powers in the fight against Islamist militants. He is stepping aside after serving the maximum two five-year elected terms and has thrown his support behind Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, 62, a former general and defense minister.

Nevertheless, Abdel Aziz could maintain significant influence behind the scenes. Former Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, who is backed by Mauritania’s biggest Islamist party, has drawn large crowds on the campaign trail and is considered Ghazouani’s main rival. Ghazouani has campaigned on economic and security progress under Abdel Aziz.

The economy is growing and will receive a boost when a large offshore gas field starts producing early next decade. Tourists, including from former colonial power France, are also starting to return for desert tours after years of staying away due to a series of kidnappings in 2009.

In recent years, Mauritania has been spared attacks by jihadist militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that have devastated other countries in West Africa’s Sahel region like neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso. (Agencies)