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Nouakchott, MAURITANIA: Ahmed Ould Daddah, 65, former opponent of ex-president Maaouiya Ould Taya makes a victory sign 07 March 2007 during an election meeting in central Nouakchott for presidential polls in March. The former French colony, whose history has been chequered by coups and military takeovers since independence in 1960, is undergoing a democratic transition launched by the military junta after it ousted authoritarian leader Maaouya Ould Ahmed Taya in a bloodless coup in August 2005. The vote is the final stage in a 19-month democratic process promised by the junta, following legislative elections in November 2006 and senatorial polls in January.
