Local Editor

Malians voted Sunday in a presidential election run-off in the conflict-scarred nation, but heavy downpours hampered early turnout.

An electorate of almost seven million was urged to choose between former premier Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and ex-finance minister Soumaila Cisse to lead Mali's recovery following a military coup.

The election, the first since 2007, is crucial for unlocking more than $4 billion in aid promised after international donors halted contributions in the wake of last year's coup.
Torrential rain affected early voting, however, with fewer polling stations opening on time than in the first round, when a turnout of 48.9 percent was seen as a key sign that the electoral process would be viewed as credible.

The rain had stopped by lunchtime and the capital Bamako witnessed a steady stream of voters joining queues to cast their ballots in the afternoon, but some polling station managers said their numbers were 50 percent down on the first round.
A network of some 2,000 independent Malian observers issued a statement welcoming the smooth running of the poll but it noted that fewer voting booths were able to open on time in Bamako and in the southern towns of Koulikoro and Kayes.

Both Keita and Cisse have declared themselves confident of victory in the run-off, called after none of the 27 candidates in the first round achieved an outright majority.
The two men separately appealed for calm among the population in Mali's post-election recovery period after casting their ballots in Bamako.

The rivals have faced off before, losing the 2002 presidential election to Amadou Toumani Toure, who was overthrown by a military junta in March last year as he was preparing to end his final term in office.

A UN peacekeeping mission integrating more than 6,000 African soldiers was charged with ensuring security on Sunday and in the months after the election. By the end of the year it will have grown to 11,200 troops and 1,400 police.

The country of more than 14 million remains the continent's third-largest gold producer, but its $10.6 billion economy contracted by 1.2 percent last year, and widespread poverty has contributed to unrest in the north.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team