Sobhy to Attend Mauritanian Presidential Inauguration

Egypt President’s aide for defense affairs Gen. Sedki Sobhy arrived in Nouakchott earlier Wednesday to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Mauritian president Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, scheduled for August 1.

Sobhy will take part in the ceremony on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, according to official sources.

He was received by the Egyptian ambassador to Mauritania Ahmed Salama, Egyptian consul Amr Karim and a high-level Mauritanian delegation at the airport.

Noteworthy, Mauritania is experiencing democratic handover of executive power for the first time with the exit of Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who had been in power for a decade.

Ghazouani was declared the official winner of presidential elections in Mauritania that opposition candidates claim were unfair. The constitutional council, the final authority on Mauritania's founding law, rejected an opposition challenge and approved the election results.

On August 2, the new Mauritanian President will officially take over the presidency from close ally Abdel Aziz, who is stepping down after serving the maximum two five-year terms.

Last Friday, Ghazouani hailed the beginning of "democratic pluralism" in the conservative West African country. Moreover, he promised to end inequalities and disparities among different segments of society.

The election represented Mauritania's first democratic transition of power since independence from France in 1960.