Nouakchott - Mauritanians voted Sunday in a referendum expected to approve a new constitution, which was intended to usher in a democratic era in the north-west African desert country, one of Africa's new oil producers.
Power has never changed hands through the ballot box in the Islamic republic, which has a population of 3 million and a history marked by military coups since independence from France in 1960.
The new constitution, limiting the president's time in office to a maximum 10 years, was proposed by the military junta that ousted President Maaouya Ould Taya in an August 2005 coup after 21 years in power.
The draft constitution was backed by most political parties and was expected to pass easily.
Voter turnout was estimated at 75 per cent in the capital Nouakchott and at around 60 per cent in the rest of the country. Vote counting began immediately after polling stations closed, with results expected Monday.
'This is the first time that I am voting freely and without pressure' from the ruling party, said Sidi Fall, 77, at a Nouakchott polling station.
'For me, this is something memorable, a break with the past dictatorship,' said a 37-year-old woman named Zahra Mint Ahmed, who heads a non-governmental organization assisting the poor.
Junta leader Ely Ould Mohammed Vall described the referendum as an 'historic moment', which was giving birth to a 'new Mauritania.'
The referendum was the first in a series of elections intended to introduce democracy, including legislative and local elections in November, senate elections in January and presidential elections in March 2007.
Colonel Ould Vall said the elections would be 'totally transparent' and reiterated his pledge not to contest the presidential poll.
The proposed constitution cuts the president's maximum time in office from unlimited six-year terms to two five-year terms, prohibits changing that rule without a new referendum and sets presidential candidates an age limit of 75 years.
It also sets 20 per cent quotas for female candidates in legislative and municipal elections.
Ould Vall's junta has won domestic and international sympathies for installing a civilian interim government and for promising to restore democracy as soon as possible.
The vote was being supervised by about 30 international observers from the African Union, French-speaking countries and the Arab League, Interior Ministry representative Sidi Yeselm Ould Amar Cheine said.
The number of eligible voters had been cut from 1.2 million to less than 1 million after the previous regime was accused of inflating the voter rolls for purposes of fraud.
Ould Taya, who seized power in a 1984 coup, is remembered as a repressive ruler who censored the press, jailed opponents and kept power in the hands of the elite.
He was elected three times in polls marred by accusations of rigging. Ousted while attending the funeral of Saudi king Fahd, Ould Taya now lives in exile in Qatar.
The vast majority of the 36 political parties backed the new constitution, including the former pro-Taya Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal (PRDR).
Three smaller parties called for a boycott of the referendum, criticizing the planned constitution for not addressing 'real problems,' such as slavery, which was abolished in 1981 but vestiges of which still remain.
Critics also wanted the constitution to address the rights of the country's black African population, which feels oppressed by Arab- Berber Moors.
The new authorities have increased press freedom and released dozens of people regarded as political prisoners, including moderate Islamists.
Some radical Islamists remain in prison as Mauritania attempts to calm Western fears that it could become a haven for terrorists.
Nouakchott has also maintained diplomatic relations with Israel despite the policy's unpopularity among the population.
Ould Vall has been praised for obtaining what are seen as more advantageous oil production sharing contracts from Australia's Woodside Petroleum, which has begun extracting 75,000 barrels a day in Mauritania.
The oil income could transform the economy of the country, which lies mainly within the Sahara desert. Hundreds of thousands of Mauritanians are currently facing food shortages after drought, floods and a locust invasion destroyed crops last year.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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