In Mauritania, the electoral campaign for the presidential election on June 29 is starting slowly in the capital. In the streets of the city center, the khaïmas, the traditional Mauritanian tents set up at each election by campaign management, are this year mainly dedicated to President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, seeking a second term.
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With our correspondent in Nouakchott, Léa Breuil
Towards the old Palais des Congrès in the capital, some supporters and curious people walk around the large musical khaïmas installed for the campaign. A tradition during electoral periods, even if Mohamed, 57, notes that for the moment he has only seen khaïmas dedicated to the ruling party: “ It’s a way to get together, to get messages across. At the start of the process, there were large camps and now with each election it decreases, it is perhaps a question of means. »
For Ismael Abdalaye, a member of the ruling party who emphasizes the importance of khaïmas in mobilizing Mauritanians, this may also be the result of the absence this year of candidates from the major traditional opposition parties (such as the RFD). “ There is opposition, but it’s not like before. The first term of the President of the Republic was marked by reconciliation. The President of the Republic has reached out to all political parties, there is a climate of political appeasement. »
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Within the headquarters of the opponent and candidate Biram Dah Abeid who came second in the last presidential election, party members specify that their rallies now take place in specific places, such as the headquarters of the parties.
For financial reasons, but also strategic, according to Ahmed Salem Deklé, political advisor to the candidate. “ The khaïmas consumed a lot of money while with regard to electoral profitability, it is often not certain. And that’s why most opponents have opted for other mobilization techniques. We made caravans to reach voters, especially locally, and we used social networks massively. »
Khaimas in support of other candidates were still seen in neighborhoods further from the center of the capital.
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