Mali opposition candidates allege vote fraud, head to court
News & Trends •
the nine-judge constitutional court must officially announce the results of the first round by wednesday to kick off campaigning for the run-off vote which keita is heavily favoured to win on august 121 the three main opposition candidates in malis presidential election are alleging ballot box-stuffing and counting fraud in the first round of voting said to have been won by incumbent ibrahim boubacar keita1 keita won 41.42 percent of votes in the july 29 presidential poll in the sprawling west african nation easily ahead of the second place rival soumaila cisse with 17.8 percent. they will face off in a runoff vote next sunday1 soumaila cisse filed last night saturday around 20 submissions to the constitutional court for ballot box-stuffing violations of the electoral law and other irregularities a spokesman for the candidate told afp1 the ballot box-stuffing explains ibks tallies in the north and centre of the country the spokesman added using keitas initials1 he said a motion had also been filed seeking the recusal of six of the courts judges on suspicion of bias including its president manassa danioko1 third-placed aliou boubacar diallo who won 7.95 percent of the july 19 vote has also filed a complaint to the constitutional court concerning the results and the vote tallying his spokesman cheick diallo told afp1 and in fourth place with 7.46 percent in the first round cheick modibo diarra former transitional prime minister in 2012 has also appealed to the highest court about the reports of irregularities according to a statement from his political group1 the three candidates led by second placed soumaila cisse have already mounted a legal challenge of the result in the countrys constitutional court1 when questioned by afp the courts secretary-general mamadou magassouba said he could not confirm receipt of submissions because such requests come in confidentiality1 he also declined to comment on allegations of bias in the court1 cisse 68 whom keita defeated in a 2013 run-off vote has called the latest vote results neither sincere nor credible and a fraud1 violence disrupted the first-round election in several areas beset by ethnic and jihadist unrest despite the deployment of 30000 security personnel1 suspicions of electoral fraud have been fuelled by the fact that the ministry of territorial administration has released provisional results only on the national level1 the government has no intention of publishing results in detail bureau by bureau a source close to the ministry said despite demands from the opposition and international observers for transparency1 the international community including the un mission in the country minusma and french forces present in the country have put high hopes in the poll which could revive a peace agreement signed in 2015 between the government government-allied groups and former rebels1 mali considered a linchpin state in the troubled sahel region is one of the worlds poorest countries with most people living on less than 2 a day1