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• But the controversy surrounding the ballot is not yet over. The whereabouts of the leading opposition candidate, Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah, who came in second with 18.73 percent of the vote, is unknown. 
• Even at the campaign headquarters, Mr. Ould Haidallah's location is unknown, with party faithfuls unsure whether their leader has been arrested, abducted or has gone into hiding. 
• Mr. Ould Haidallah was arrested days before the election amidst charges of plotting to stage a coup d'etat. He was released in a matter of hours so that the poll could go ahead, but that release was conditional meaning that Mr. Haidallah could be rearrested at any time. 
• Mr. Ahmed Ould Daddah, who came in third with 6.89 percent of the vote said that the elections had not been conducted freely or fairly, and he refected the results of the poll. 
• Mr. Ould Daddah said that both he and Mr. Ould Haidallah rejected the poll results, as they were ridiculous, bore no relation to reality and were simply a manipulation of the truth by the government. 

Listen to Sarah Simpson's report from Nouakchott, Mauritania (RealAudio)
Simpson report - Download 264k (RealAudio)
 

AP
Maaouiya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya

Making the announcement in Arabic only, Interior Minister Kaaba Ould Elewa confirmed that Mr. Ould Taya has secured 66.69 perecent of the vote, making him the out-right winner of Mauritania's presidential election. 

Mr. Ould Taya has been in power since 1984. His electroral victory has secured him another six years in office only months before goernment coffers are set to swell with newly found oil-revenue. 

But the controversy surrounding the ballot is not yet over. The whereabouts of the leading opposition candidate, Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah, who came in second with 18.73 percent of the vote, is unknown. 

Even at the campaign headquarters, Mr. Ould Haidallah's location is unknown, with party faithfuls unsure whether their leader has been arrested, abducted or has gone into hiding. 

Mr. Ould Haidallah was arrested days before the election amidst charges of plotting to stage a coup d'etat. He was released in a matter of hours so that the poll could go ahead, but that release was conditional meaning that Mr. Haidallah could be rearrested at any time. 

Mr. Ahmed Ould Daddah, who came in third with 6.89 percent of the vote said that the elections had not been conducted freely or fairly, and he refected the results of the poll. 

Mr. Ould Daddah said that both he and Mr. Ould Haidallah rejected the poll results, as they were ridiculous, bore no relation to reality and were simply a manipulation of the truth by the government. 

Mr. Ould Daddah stated that although he rejected the result, he was a democrat and would not respond with violence. 

Mauritania is a vast desert state in the western Sahara. The population of less than three million people is deeply divided both economically and culturally.
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Mauritania's President Headed for Re-Election Mauritania Voters Head to Polls Leading Mauritanian Presidential Candidate Released After Police Questioning Mauritanian Opposition Supporters Clash with Police

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• Aurelio Loret de Mola said Jaime Zuniga , also known as "Cirilo" and "Dalton", was seized after clashes with the army. 
• The minister said his capture was a major blow to the rebels in the central region of Ene and Apurimac, where he was second in command. 
• The group, whose leader is in jail, has been blamed for the deaths of 69,000 people between the years 1980 and 2000. 

Guzman is alleged to be leading the group from jail

Aurelio Loret de Mola said Jaime Zuniga , also known as "Cirilo" and "Dalton", was seized after clashes with the army. 

The minister said his capture was a major blow to the rebels in the central region of Ene and Apurimac, where he was second in command. 

The group, whose leader is in jail, has been blamed for the deaths of 69,000 people between the years 1980 and 2000. 

New trials

The minister said two other rebels were captured and four were killed in the clashes early on Friday near San Bartolome, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of the capital, Lima, in a jungle area on the Andes.

"Cirilo" suffered a bullet wound in his pelvis, and one Peruvian officer was wounded. 

Jaime Zuniga is accused of being involved in the kidnapping in June of 71 people working on a gas pipeline in the Peruvian jungle. 

The Ene and Apurimac valleys, about 500 km (310 miles) south-east of Lima, are considered the last bastion of the rebels - now believed to number a few hundred. 

Iparraguirre has kept a diary which has appeared in newspapers

Guzman and his companion and deputy, Elana Iparraguirre, were sentenced in 1992 to life imprisonment in secret trials conducted by hooded military judges. 

The Peruvian authorities have since ordered that they be retried in a civilian court.

After a two-year investigation, Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission published its report in August - the result of 17,000 testimonies of people affected by the violence, including jailed rebel leaders.

The report says most of the victims of Peru's internal war are believed to have come from indigenous communities, trapped between state troops and rebel insurgents such as the Shining Path.

The investigation, in which members of the commission were given unprecedented access to military documents, blamed the start of the violence on Shining Path, a Maoist group, which launched an uprising in 1980.

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.   WATCH AND LISTEN  The BBC's Hannah Hennessey "Analysts... say the movement is only a shadow of its former self" SEE ALSO:  Peru strife killed 69,000  28 Aug 03  |  Americas  Jailed Peru rebels end hunger strike  05 Aug 03  |  Americas  Jailed Peruvian rebels on hunger strike  02 Aug 03  |  Americas  Peruvian rebel faces retrial  21 Mar 03  |  Americas  Retrial for Peru Shining Path rebel  21 Nov 02  |  Americas  Analysis: Peru's Shining Path  11 Jun 03  |  Americas  Peru's violent past  21 Mar 02  |  Americas  Analysis: Peru confronts the past  10 Apr 02  |  Americas  RELATED INTERNET LINKS:  Inter-American Court of Human Rights  Peruvian judiciary  The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites  TOP AMERICAS STORIES NOW  Tension high as Guatemala votes  US 'wants Iraq council scrapped'  Second Colombia minister resigns  Peru captures Shining Path rebel  .

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President Uribe has lost a second minister in less than a week

Martha Lucia Ramirez was the country's first female defence minister, and no reason has been given for her sudden decision to quit. 

She had been in office since President Alvero Uribe came to power in August 2002.

Since she took over, security had improved with murders and kidnappings sharply reduced. 

President Uribe has appointed a businessman, Jorge Alberto Uribe, to succeed her. 

The new minister is president of the insurance giant Seguros de Lima, and is not related to the president. 

'Relief'

On Thursday Fernando Londono, who held the justice as well as the interior portfolio, announced his decision to resign.

Relations between the minister and the president had been tense, with Mr Londono saying that Mr Uribe should resign himself if his political reforms failed to make progress.

Economist Sabas Pretelt has been named as his replacement.

Many deputies voiced their relief at Mr Londono's resignation.

"The minister was hampering discussion and approval of key government bills," Claudia Blum, a pro-Uribe congresswoman, told Reuters news agency.

"The minister stuck his foot in it too many times," Antonio Navarro, a leading opposition senator, told the Associated Press news agency.

Mr Londono has found himself embroiled in controversy before, most notably in June this year when he alleged lawmakers had been smoking drugs when they passed an electoral reform law. 

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. SEE ALSO:  Key Colombian minister resigns  06 Nov 03  |  Americas  Colombia's Uribe in cabinet crisis  30 Oct 03  |  Americas  Colombia president weakened at polls  27 Oct 03  |  Americas  Profile: Alvaro Uribe Velez  25 Oct 03  |  Americas  Q&A: Colombia's civil conflict  06 May 03  |  Americas  Country profile: Colombia  12 Jul 03  |  Country profiles  RELATED INTERNET LINKS:  Colombian Presidency (in Spanish)  Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)  The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites  TOP AMERICAS STORIES NOW  Tension high as Guatemala votes  US 'wants Iraq council scrapped'  Second Colombia minister resigns  Peru captures Shining Path rebel  .

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• Campaign violence has raised fears that supporters of the ex-military leader Jose Efrain Rios Montt could react badly if he is defeated. 
• He trailed third in the opinion polls but analysts say his support could have been underestimated.
• Tens of thousands of soldiers and police have been deployed. 
• Late on Saturday, Ronaldo Morales - a political secretary of one of the leading contenders Alvaro Colom - was shot and injured by unidentified gunmen at his home.
• Mr Morales' wife said the attack was politically motivated and blamed it on the detestable conditions in the country. 

• The former mayor of Guatemala City, Oscar Berger, is neck-and-neck with centre-left Mr Colom.
• Behind them is Mr Rios Montt whose political party, the RFG, is currently in power and who enjoys the support of the incumbent, Alfonso Portillo. Guatemalan presidents are elected for a single term. 
• Mr Rios Montt led a coup in 1982 and got his name on the ballot despite a constitutional rule that nobody who had overthrown a government could stand for the presidency. 
• It is only the second presidential election since peace accords in 1996 ended a 36-year civil war. 

• More than 22 people connected with political parties have been assassinated since campaigning began in May. 
• There were riots in Guatemala City in June when it looked as if Mr Rios Montt would be barred from standing. 
• They were allegedly organised by his mobs. 
• Election monitors also fear that former paramilitary groups, known as ex-Pacs, set up by Mr Rios Montt and linked to some of the worst atrocities in the civil war, are being re-established by the governing RFG Party. 

Rios Montt has overshadowed Guatemalan politics for decades

Campaign violence has raised fears that supporters of the ex-military leader Jose Efrain Rios Montt could react badly if he is defeated. 

He trailed third in the opinion polls but analysts say his support could have been underestimated.

Tens of thousands of soldiers and police have been deployed. 

Late on Saturday, Ronaldo Morales - a political secretary of one of the leading contenders Alvaro Colom - was shot and injured by unidentified gunmen at his home.

Mr Morales' wife said the attack was politically motivated and blamed it on the detestable conditions in the country. 

On Sunday, two elderly women were crushed to death in a stampede as they prepared to vote in a city in the north of the country. 

The BBC's Claire Marshall in Guatemala City reports on long queues of frustrated people having to wait to cast their ballots. 

Our correspondent says many people have had to travel for hours to reach voting stations from the country's remote jungle and mountain regions.

'Worrisome candidacy'

Three candidates stand a chance of making it through to the second round. 

There are reports of long queues of voters waiting to cast their ballots

The former mayor of Guatemala City, Oscar Berger, is neck-and-neck with centre-left Mr Colom.

Behind them is Mr Rios Montt whose political party, the RFG, is currently in power and who enjoys the support of the incumbent, Alfonso Portillo. Guatemalan presidents are elected for a single term. 

Mr Rios Montt led a coup in 1982 and got his name on the ballot despite a constitutional rule that nobody who had overthrown a government could stand for the presidency. 

It is only the second presidential election since peace accords in 1996 ended a 36-year civil war. 

Mr Rios Montt was met with whistles and boos as he arrived to cast his vote at a polling station in Guatemala City.

Assassinations

More than 22 people connected with political parties have been assassinated since campaigning began in May. 

There were riots in Guatemala City in June when it looked as if Mr Rios Montt would be barred from standing. 

They were allegedly organised by his mobs. 

Election monitors also fear that former paramilitary groups, known as ex-Pacs, set up by Mr Rios Montt and linked to some of the worst atrocities in the civil war, are being re-established by the governing RFG Party. 

Irregularities

Valentin Paniagua, head of a mission from the Organisation of American States monitoring the elections, says that in some aspects the government has shown a lack of neutrality. 

There had been interventions in the political process in favour of the governing party, he said. 

The problem of the ex-Pacs has been linked to the government and he called on the government to stop participating in this. 

More than 2,000 election monitors are in Guatemala to try to ensure that the election is clean.

The lorries which carry the ballot papers will be tracked by satellite. 
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.   WATCH AND LISTEN  The BBC's Claire Marshall "The election has been marred by violence" SEE ALSO:  Testing Guatemalan democracy  08 Nov 03  |  Americas  General to run in Guatemala  31 Jul 03  |  Americas  Guatemala City hit by riot  25 Jul 03  |  Americas  Guatemala coup leader defies ban  08 Jun 03  |  Americas  Guatemala coup leader to stand  25 May 03  |  Americas  Country profile: Guatemala  11 Jul 03  |  Country profiles  RELATED INTERNET LINKS:  Guatemalan Government  The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites  TOP AMERICAS STORIES NOW  Tension high as Guatemala votes  US 'wants Iraq council scrapped'  Second Colombia minister resigns  Peru captures Shining Path rebel  ..

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• The Washington Post newspaper quotes a senior US official as saying the administration has become alarmed at the IGC's failure to make important decisions. 
• According to the paper, the US is actively looking for an alternative strategy.
• It has reportedly become frustrated by individual members on the US-appointed council who, officials say, spend all their time promoting private agendas rather than making important collective decisions. 

 

By David Bamford  BBC correspondent in Washington

The Iraqi Governing Council's days may be numbered

The Washington Post newspaper quotes a senior US official as saying the administration has become alarmed at the IGC's failure to make important decisions. 

According to the paper, the US is actively looking for an alternative strategy.

It has reportedly become frustrated by individual members on the US-appointed council who, officials say, spend all their time promoting private agendas rather than making important collective decisions. 

'Potential to govern'

But Richard Perle, a right-wing Pentagon adviser, said in a TV interview he would be recommending against making changes.

"The Iraqi Governing Council consists of people who represent large elements of the Iraqi society," he said. 

"If we're impatient, we shouldn't be because they have the potential to govern the country and govern it effectively."

Although the council does include figures from each of Iraq's Sunni, Shia and Kurdish groups, its members were handpicked by the Americans and there have been doubts about whether some represent anyone but themselves. 

New look

The council was set up soon after Baghdad was taken, when many in the US assumed the transition to an elected government would be a matter of months. 

Now it is acknowledged by all sides this is untenable.

Some like Senator Joe Biden think a fresh look now would provide a further chance of improved international co-operation.

"I'd use that as the entree with the French to say we can work out an arrangement here," he said.

One possibility being reconsidered, according to quoted US officials, is that of an interim sovereign body as in Afghanistan - a model that the French have been advocating in Iraq for some time. 

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.   KEY STORIES US 'wants Iraq council scrapped'  Red Cross cuts Iraq operations  US soldier killed in Baghdad  US 'sobered' by Iraq attacks  Mass graves 'hold 300,000 Iraqis'  BAGHDAD DESPATCHES Photo journal  A Baghdad father explains what life is like for his family  Echoes of Vietnam  Steps to civil war?  ANALYSIS US shows possible weak spot  Paying the price of peace  Aid agencies under pressure  Iraq living conditions HAVE YOUR SAY Is Iraq getting enough money?  Full in-depth report  RELATED INTERNET LINKS:  United Nations  Coalition Provisional Authority  The White House  The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites  TOP MIDDLE EAST STORIES NOW  US backs Saudis after Riyadh bomb  Arafat gets his way on security  Israelis approve Hezbollah swap  Iran to confirm nuclear accords  .

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The U.S. military says American warplanes have bombed an area near the Iraqi town of Fallujah after U.S. troops came under attack. 

Officials say fighter jets dropped three 227-kilogram bombs in the area where a U.S. transport helicopter was shot down a week ago, killing 16 soldiers. 

U.S. airstrikes resumed Friday after a U.S. helicopter crashed near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, killing all six soldiers on board. 

Earlier Sunday, a blast on a military convoy in Fallujah killed two U.S. troops and wounded one American. 

Meanwhile, a senior member of the Iraqi Governing Council said Sunday the group will meet a December 15 deadline for creating a political road map to use in drafting a new constitution. 

Interim Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said, however, the deteriorating security situation could delay the writing of the constitution, which is intended to pave the way for general elections. 

His comments came as a U.S. newspaper reported U.S. officials are considering alternatives to the interim authority because of frustrations at the council's failure to make key decisions on Iraq's future. The Washington Post report said U.S. officials could replace the council, whose members were appointed by the United States in July. 

One plan would convene a national conference in Iraq to select a sovereign provisional government, even before the country has a new constitution or holds elections. France is one of several U.N. Security Council members that support naming such a provisional government. 

Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP.

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