admin
BAMAKO. – Mali announced Ibrahim Boubacar Keita as its new leader yesterday after confirming that the ex-prime minister had won a landslide victory in a presidential poll intended to give a fresh start to the conflict-scarred nation.Figures for Sunday’s second-round ballot released on live television by the interior ministry showed Keita won an overwhelming 77.6 percent of the vote, with his rival Soumaila Cisse trailing on 22.4 percent.
Mali’s first election since 2007 was seen as crucial for unlocking more than $4 billion pledged by international donors. Aid to the country had been halted after a separatist uprising led to a 2012 coup and an Islamist insurgency that plunged one of the region’s most stable democracies into turmoil.
Former finance minister Cisse had already conceded the run-off vote to Keita after it became apparent as early as Monday morning that victory was beyond his grasp.
Turnout was recorded at 45.8 percent, Interior Minister Moussa Sinko Coulibaly said, while 93,000 ballots were spoiled, compared with 400,000 in the first round.
Keita (68), has become known for his blunt speech, his refusal to compromise and his reputation for toughness. But his regime begins already mired in controversy after it emerged on Wednesday that Captain Amadou Sanogo, who led a group of fellow mid-level officers to overthrow then-president Amadou Toumani Toure on March 22 last year, had been promoted.
Cisse (63), had complained of widespread electoral fraud before conceding defeat but told reporters this week he would not challenge the result in court “in view of the fragility of the country”.
The European Union observer mission gave a positive assessment of the vote while the United States has signalled that it is prepared to resume aid to Mali.
A UN peacekeeping mission of 11,200 troops and 1,400 police has been charged with ensuring security in the west African nation as France withdraws most of the 4,500 troops it deployed to repel the insurgency.
French President Francois Hollande’s office said in statement that Paris would remain an ally to a democratic Mali, adding that the size of Keita’s winning margin gave him “the necessary legitimacy to undertake a national recovery”. – AFP.
Online Reporter