In a resounding defeat for the Muslim Brotherhood group in Mauritania, the ruling party, Ennahdha, achieved a landslide victory over its competitors in the first round of legislative, regional, and municipal elections held last month, according to the official results published by the Electoral Committee in Nouakchott.

The Brotherhood’s Loss

A report by “Roaya” network revealed that Ennahdha party, led by Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El-Ghazouani, secured 80 seats in parliament, according to the results announced by Dah Ould Abdeljalil, the head of the Independent National Electoral Commission. Meanwhile, the opposition won 24 seats, including 9 seats for the National Rally for Reform and Development (Tewassoul), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Defeat in the Second Round

In the second round of elections, the ruling party strengthened its position at the top, winning 27 out of the 36 seats contested, bringing its total number of seats to 107 out of 176. The ruling party also won 13 regional councils and two-thirds of the municipal councils, all this a year ahead of the presidential elections.

The Brotherhood’s Tewassoul party only obtained two seats in the second round, bringing their total to just 11 seats, compared to the 14 they held in the outgoing council.

The voter turnout in the elections was 71.8% and witnessed the participation of 25 political parties, marking the first elections since El-Ghazouani assumed the presidency of Mauritania in 2019.

The group’s claims

Continuing the Brotherhood’s approach despite the resounding defeat suffered by the Muslim Brotherhood, the Tewassoul party denounced what it called “massive forgery” and demanded a rerun of the elections, refusing to recognize the results.

The Brotherhood claimed significant violations in the integrity of the electoral process, alleging that some voters had cast more than one ballot, a claim countered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, affirming that the process was conducted transparently and under the supervision of multiple entities, and that all reported incidents were investigated.

Smooth Conduct

Reports confirmed that the process was carried out smoothly, and representatives of the Brotherhood attempted throughout the day to provoke employees and direct voters, creating crises with representatives of the ruling party. Due to the misconduct of one of Tewassoul’s representatives, a report was filed against him, and he was excluded from monitoring the voting process.

The Failure of the Brotherhood’s Project

Dr. Ibrahim Rabie, a dissident Brotherhood leader and expert on terrorist groups, states that the Brotherhood’s defeat in the elections is a continuation of the Brotherhood’s defeats in many Arab, Asian, and European countries. He notes that these defeats are a continuation of the failure of the Brotherhood’s project worldwide.

He adds that the Brotherhood’s questioning of the election results is a recurring approach after their failures. He confirms that the Brotherhood’s project can be said to have permanently ended, emphasizing that Mauritania’s achievement represents a significant victory over the terrorist group.