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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Mali to announce election results | Mali to announce election results |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| Initial results are due after Sunday's presidential election in Mali. | Initial results are due after Sunday's presidential election in Mali. |
| President Amadou Toumani Toure - who is seeking a second and final five-year term - was seen as a clear favourite. | President Amadou Toumani Toure - who is seeking a second and final five-year term - was seen as a clear favourite. |
| Although officially running as an independent, Mr Toure, known as "ATT", was backed by more than 30 parties in the West African nation. | Although officially running as an independent, Mr Toure, known as "ATT", was backed by more than 30 parties in the West African nation. |
| Opposition candidates say the voters' list favours the incumbent, accusing Mr Toure's supporters of using state assets to fund his electoral campaign. | Opposition candidates say the voters' list favours the incumbent, accusing Mr Toure's supporters of using state assets to fund his electoral campaign. |
| The strongest opposition challenger is Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the president of Mali's national assembly and former prime minister who came third in the 2002 poll. | The strongest opposition challenger is Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the president of Mali's national assembly and former prime minister who came third in the 2002 poll. |
| Cotton farmers | Cotton farmers |
| There were no reports of any violence during the polls. | There were no reports of any violence during the polls. |
| "All has gone well, according to what our teams have observed - no incident has been reported," former Haiti Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, who is heading the OIF organisation of French-speaking countries' team of observers, told the AFP news agency. | "All has gone well, according to what our teams have observed - no incident has been reported," former Haiti Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, who is heading the OIF organisation of French-speaking countries' team of observers, told the AFP news agency. |
| Mali leader's life in pictures Part of Mr Toure's popularity stems from the fact that he played a leading role in ending military dictatorship with a coup 16 years ago, says BBC West Africa correspondent Will Ross. | Mali leader's life in pictures Part of Mr Toure's popularity stems from the fact that he played a leading role in ending military dictatorship with a coup 16 years ago, says BBC West Africa correspondent Will Ross. |
| He then organised elections in 1992 and handed power over to the winner, Alpha Oumar Konare. | He then organised elections in 1992 and handed power over to the winner, Alpha Oumar Konare. |
| Mr Toure was elected president in 2002, after Mr Konare had served two terms. | Mr Toure was elected president in 2002, after Mr Konare had served two terms. |
| Turnout was expected to be low as more than a third of voters did not pick up their registration cards. | Turnout was expected to be low as more than a third of voters did not pick up their registration cards. |
| Taxi driver Camara said voting "serves no purpose... because democracy is now well established in this country." | Taxi driver Camara said voting "serves no purpose... because democracy is now well established in this country." |
| Mali is Africa's third largest gold producer but the vast majority of the country's 14 million people live off the land, our correspondent says. | Mali is Africa's third largest gold producer but the vast majority of the country's 14 million people live off the land, our correspondent says. |
| The plight of the cotton farmers had been a key election issue, he says. | The plight of the cotton farmers had been a key election issue, he says. |
| Analysts hope the elections will go some way to boost democracy in the region, especially after the widely criticised polls in Nigeria, our correspondent says. | Analysts hope the elections will go some way to boost democracy in the region, especially after the widely criticised polls in Nigeria, our correspondent says. |
| One African human rights organisation has said that democracy seems to be losing steam. | One African human rights organisation has said that democracy seems to be losing steam. |
| If no candidate gets an absolute majority in the first round, the two top candidates will compete in a run-off in two weeks' time. |