0alians vote in presidential eleFtion amid worsening inseFXrity
MA/I Malians voted yes terday to decide whether or not to give 3resident Ibra him %oubacar .eita a second term, amid widespread eth nic and Mihadist violence that has dramatically worsened since he came to power five years ago 7wo dozen other candidates were contesting the presidency in a largely 6aharan desert nation that has been fractured by a 7u areg rebellion and Islamist militancy across its north and central zones since the last poll in
Insecurity is such that in some parts of the country the vote will simply not hap pen, and the European Union observer mission urged the government on 6aturday to publish a list of places that will be unable to vote, so as to Tuell suspicions by can didates of “fictitious polling stations ´
Eight million voters are en rolled Voting mostly began as scheduled at polling sta tions in the capital %amako at a m *M7 3olls close at p m Opposition candidates include business men, an astrophysicist, and Must one woman
7he threat of violence was on the minds of voters, which could reduce turnout in a country where only per cent vote on average “I was scared to come and vote because of the insecu rity, but I feel relieved be cause everything went well,´ said year old housekeeper Mariam &isse in the northern medieval Islamic city of 7im buktu, whose mud walled mosTues were tourist attrac tions until it became beset by Islamist militancy in
“I voted for 6oumaila &isse because I wanted power to change hands,´ she said, re ferring to the year old can didate considered the most likely to beat the incumbent
A Reuters witness said it was calm in 7imbuktu on 6unday after days of unrest leading up to the polls One thousand km miles southwest in the capital %a mako, year old +ama 'iallo Must hoped for a safer future “I hope the 3resident elect makes security a prior ity, without which nothing is possible´
7he head of the EU observer mission &ecile .yenge said the mission had been in formed of certain incidents in the north and center, on which she declined to elabo rate, but otherwise the vote had started peacefully “I would urge caution 7he opening is Must a small part It¶s still too early to pro nounce on the process ,´ she said (Reuters)