Mali opposition seeks poll re-run

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Mali's opposition has formally asked the Constitutional Court to annul last Sunday's presidential election.

"We do not recognise these results because it is a farce," said opposition coalition spokesman Djiguiba Keita.

They say the poll was marred by fraud and members of the military were ordered to vote for incumbent President Amadou Toumani Toure.

But the BBC West Africa correspondent says annulment is unlikely, as foreign observers declared it mostly fair.

The Front for Democracy and the Republic (FDR) opposition coalition says that it has concrete proof that it will present in court.

Provisional official figures issued by the authorities on Thursday gave President Toure more than 68% of the vote, putting him well ahead of his closest challenger, parliamentary speaker Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who had less than 19%.

Voter turnout for the poll was 36%.

Coup leader

Mr Toure, known as "ATT", played a leading role in ending Mali's military dictatorship with a coup 16 years ago.

<a class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/africa_mali_president/html/1.stm">Mali leader's life in pictures</a>

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 Keita is president of Mali's National Assembly and a former prime minister who came third in the 2002 presidential poll.