The Mauritanian opposition parties celebrated on Sunday the departure of former French president Nicolas

Sarkozy and the Socialist victory of Francois Hollande, in the second round of French presidential elections.
The opposition parties accused the former French president more than once of supporting the Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and exploiting him in the French war against armed groups in the Republic of Mali.
Supporters of the Democratic Party, which is headed by opposition leader Ahmed Ould Daddah, took part in jubilant marches in the streets of the capital city Nouckchott, celebrating the departure of French president Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round of presidential elections in France.
Mauritanian protesters said Hollande’s success is important to France and to the people who suffered from the colonial policies of Sarkozy and his actions in Africa, which are seen by many Africans as reckless. Africans have long suffered from Sarkozy’s support for authoritarian regimes and from French interference in the internal policies of sovereign nations like Mauritania and others.
Mauritanian opposition groups now hope the new socialist President will be more balanced towards the overall issues concerning peace and security in Africa and beyond.
The national front for the defence of democracy - which was founded in 2008 after the current president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz led a coup against the civilian president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi - said that France was involved in supporting the military coup against power in 2008 and the overthrow of the country\'s elected president Cheikh Abdallahi.