News
Mali presidential election 2013: A profile of the main candidates
(Reuters) – Mali holds a presidential election on Sunday after more than a year of turmoil including a coup and military intervention to free the north from al Qaeda-allied Islamists.
Here are some details on the front runners out of a field of 27 running in the election:
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita
Universally known as IBK, Keita is the political heavyweight in the election race. He has held several portfolios in previous governments and served as prime minister from 1994-2000.
Keita, who heads the RPM party, was also president of Mali’s National Assembly before launching failed bids for the national presidency in the 2002 and 2007 elections.
IBK has campaigned on pledges to restore Mali’s ‘honor’ and, having stood up to trade unions when he was prime minister, has a reputation for firmness that many Malians believe is needed to restore the rule of law across the divided nation.
