MALI: Presidential elections are being held on Sunday (28 July).
27 candidates are contesting the Presidential elections.Frontrunners among the 27 candidates are ex-prime minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, 68, and 64-year-old Soumaila Cisse, a former finance minister and ex-commission chairman of the West African Monetary Union. Mali is Africa’s third-biggest gold producer.
As many as 85 percent of the voting cards were distributed yesterday evening, according to Gamer Dicko, head of communications at the Ministry of Territorial Administration.
“Malians have understood the importance of the vote,” Mamoutou Diabate, head of the Forum of Civil Society Organizations, said today.
He expects the turnout to be at least 37 percent compared with 17 percent for the last election in 2007. If a run-off is necessary, it will be held between the top two candidates on Sunday, Aug. 11.
