Mauritanians vote for president with incumbent favoured to win

Mohamed Ould Ghazouani has placed his country as a strategic ally to the West (AP)

Mauritanians have gone to the polls to elect their next president, with the incumbent Mohamed Ould Ghazouani widely expected to win after positioning Mauritania as a strategic ally of the West in a region swept by coups and violence.

Mr Ghazouni, who is seeking re-election on the pledge of providing security and economic growth, is a former army chief and the current president of the African Union.