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Mali Presidential election 2013: Voters turn out in large numbers – hopeful election will heal nation
Most of the front-runners are established political figures from the last 20 years of Malian politics so there is little likelihood of a radical overhaul despite calls for change after the unprecedented crisis in the West African nation. A second round is due to take place on August 11 if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote.
Mali’s interim President Dioncounda Traore said the election had been the best the country had organized since independence. “Democracy is the law of the majority. I ask that all candidates accept the result of the ballot boxes,” he said.
Before last year’s crises, Mali, had built up a reputation for stability and become Africa’s 3 largest gold producer.
The new president will have to oversee peace talks with separatist Tuareg movement who have agreed to allow the election to take place in areas they operate in. It is hoped that by voting in large numbers Malians will revive a democracy that was envied as a model of stability but failed to mobilize enthusiasm at home, fostering weak system that lacked checks and balances. “The Islamist invasion and the coup may have taught us a lesson that we need to build a proper democracy,” said Gossy Dramera, a member of parliament, before he looked for his polling station.
Source: Reuters
