Mali Opposition Challenges Presidential Election Results
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Tags: 2018 Mali Presidential Elections, Cheick Modibo Diarra, Constitutional Court, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Presidential election, Soumaïla Cissé
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Ibrahim Boubacar Keita Photographer: Michele Cattani/AFP via Getty Images
Mali’s main opposition candidate and another contesting for the presidency have appealed to the nation’s Constitutional Court to investigate alleged violations during the July 29 elections.
Soumaila Cissé, who received the second-largest number of votes submitted evidence of ballot box stuffing to the Court, Baguiba Bah, a spokesman for his campaign team told Bloomberg News. Another opposition candidate, Cheick Modibo Diarra, has sent allegations of irregularities to the constitutional court, his CMD2018 coalition said in an emailed statement Sunday. The Court has until Aug. 8 to study the evidence and make a decision.
Incumbent Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, 73, is due to face former Finance Minister Cissé, 68, in an Aug. 12 runoff after no candidate won a majority in the first round, in which Diarra finished fourth among 24 contenders.
Attacks and other violent incidents prevented people from casting their votes in 767 out of about 23,000 polling stations, mainly in the center and north of the country, figures from the Ministry of Territorial Administration showed. The European Union’s observer mission said there were irregularities, including in the distribution of electoral cards, raising doubts over the election’s credibility.
