Nation awaits result of vote

Counting began on Saturday in Mauritania after a referendum on constitutional changes sought by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who derided the efforts of a boycott movement that has galvanised mass protests during the campaign. Aziz is pushing to abolish the country’s Senate and several other state bodies and to make a small alteration to the national flag, measures that have galvanized boycotters hoping to sap the vote’s credibility by forcing a low turnout.