NOUAKCHOTT - Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani has extended his lead in the West African nation's presidential election, provisional results showed on Sunday.

Ghazouani - a 67-year-old former army chief of staff and defence minister who is widely expected to win the race in the first round - had 55.05% of the vote, according to results from more than 71% of polling stations by 1040 GMT, the electoral commission's website showed.

His main rival, anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, was at 22.87%, while Hamadi Sidi El Mokhtar of the Islamist Tewassoul party was third with 12.99%.

  - Reuters