[ad_1]
- A total of 24 candidates apply for the highest position of the state in West African Mali
- The greatest odds are given to former incumbent President Boubacar Keïta. However, many of its competitors are accusing it of a total failure to stabilize the country.
- However, his main challenger, opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé, could, according to experts, get enough votes to request a second round.
West African state of crisis Mali chooses a new president this Sunday. The greatest odds are attributed to outgoing Head of State Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who is seeking a second term.
However, his main opponent, opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé, could, according to experts, get enough votes to request a second round.
The Election
Eight million of the 18 million Malians have the right to vote. Polling stations should be open from 10:00 to 20:00. The first count results are expected 48 hours after the closing of the polls, an official result should be available on August 3rd. If no candidate receives the required majority, a second round is scheduled for August 12th.
In the days leading up to the elections, government opposition blamed the government for falsifying electoral lists containing non-existent voters and polling stations. enumerates what opens the door to electoral fraud. The government rejected the allegations, but acknowledged computer problems in the electoral register.
During the election campaign, Keïta admitted that the country had not yet calmed down. He speaks of "remnants of violence and terrorism" in the country
Politicians avoid Saharan cities
Mali often acts as a country with two parts: the great majority of the population and politicians live in the capital Bamako and in the more fertile regions of the south, the problems of the Sahel are far from them. Rarely do politicians dare to go to the cities of the northern Sahara, like Timbuktu or Kidal. In the bustling district of Bamako, however, only UN vehicles and the huge security measures in front of government buildings and hotels are reminiscent of the conflict in the north
Caption: The posters of the leader of the opposition Cissé also lined the streets of the capital Bamako during the election campaign.
Keystone
For the Sahel, Mali is of paramount importance and also for Europe, said Jan Fahlbusch, director of Welthungerhilfe's policy. "Without the rebuilding of the state and deep reforms, especially of the army, police and justice, the Malian state threatens to lose its ability to act," said M Fahlbusch. Unresolved conflicts also threaten the fight against hunger
The humanitarian situation continues to worsen
MSF has also warned that the humanitarian situation in Mali has worsened further due to conflicts and drought. The lack of security in the north and in the center has paralyzed the basic supply of the population, said Jamal Mrrouch, MSF expert
One of the poorest countries in the world
Open mailbox
Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. Nearly half of primary school children – about 1.2 million – do not go to school, according to the United Nations Children's Fund. Every ninth child dies before the fifth birthday (in Germany approximately every 250 years).
And the problems worsen: Mali has one of the highest birth rates in the world with 6.1 births per woman. According to UN forecasts, the population is expected to double by 2050 to reach more than 40 million people. Millions of young people will soon need jobs. If that fails, they could become easy prey to Islamist promises.
Achieving stability in Mali is also important for the European continent: first, the state is a transit country for migrants; a state collapses the perfect retreat for radical Islamists of all kinds – and only one border of the Mediterranean.
The first electors came to the polls early in the morning.
Keystone
This is not an exaggeration: in 2012, Islamists affiliated with al-Qaeda took power in the north of the country following a Tuareg uprising. The Islamists were repulsed only by a French military intervention in 2013.
A credible election is improbable
But in the center and north of the country – an area of about twice the area of ?? Germany – Islamists are once again controlling vast tracts of land. There, only a minority of people will vote, which makes a credible election unlikely, as the experts of the think tank International Crisis Group (ICG)
The rising jihadists
Personal open box [19659021] The desert in northern Mali is the sanctuary of several Islamist terrorist organizations affiliated with Al Qaeda. Fundamentalists, however, are gaining more and more influence in the most populous center of Mali.
The country was a model state in West Africa until it fell into anarchy in 2012 after a failed military state coup. The UN has deployed about 11,000 peacekeepers. But Mali is not stable – what the opposition in the election campaign complains bitterly.
Despite international military operations "and hundreds of millions of euros for the Malian government and security forces, the security situation continues to deteriorate," said Malian expert Andrew Lebovich of the Council European Relations Bureau. According to Lebovich, the security forces are responsible for attacks on the civilian population, which facilitates the recruitment of new recruits. "Islamists are very adept at exploiting widespread and deep state discontent, including corruption, lack of government support, and lack of security," said Corinne Dufka, a West African expert at Human Rights Watch. 19659036] Deployment of the UN against terrorists
Box of people open Box of people closed
Efforts are not lacking Fight militarily against terrorists: France has deployed about 4500 soldiers in the area Sahelian with the anti-terrorist mission Barkhane
The UN peacekeeping mission (Minusma) – currently the most dangerous in the world – is trying to stabilize the country with nearly 12,000 soldiers and 1,700 policemen, and there are up to 5,000 multinational G5 troops in the Sahel countries still under construction.
Over 30,000 Malian security forces deployed to protect r election today.
the Mediterranean arrives and increasingly stranded on the shores of Spain, are also particularly numerous citizens of Mali. Especially in recent weeks, the number of refugees on this route has risen from 50 to nearly 220 a day, reports the Frontex border agency. Nearly three times more migrants arrived on this part of the western Mediterranean compared to the same period of the previous year.
We must urgently rescue Mali
The opposition hopes that Sunday's election will lead to more stability. "Uncertainty is Mali's biggest concern," says presidential candidate Aliou Boubacar Diallo, a wealthy businessman. Keita has "completely failed in the field of security," complains Diallo, whose campaign convoy was recently attacked by badailants north of the capital Bamako
Sooeila Cissé, long-time opposition politician date summarizes: "We urgently need Mali to register."
Source link
Tags crisis Elections Mali Maturity News presidential state Test
