In Mali, controversy over the existence of a parallel electoral file

the first rebound of the presidential campaign. Meeting at a press conference in Bamako on Friday (July 20th), Soumaïla Cissé's campaign directorate, the main challenger of the outgoing president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (IBK), in the polls on July 29, announced the existence of a parallel electoral register. . A file that would be, according to the staff of the candidate of the Union for the Republic and Democracy (URD), fraudulent and different from that audited by the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF) a few months ago. At the end of April, the OIF had certified it: "Mali's electoral register, containing 8,000,462 voters in 23,041 polling stations, is reliable enough to allow for the 2018 general elections. . "

" Extensive attempt at fraud "

" We are sad to note that there are 275,761 duplicates of voters in the online file, pointed out Tiébilé Dramé, the director of campaign of "Soumi" . For us, the responsibility of the government is tainted with what appears to be a vast attempt at fraud tending to take the vote of the Malian people hostage. "

The opposition fears that this file, accessible by lines of code on the website of the Directorate General of Elections (DGE), will serve as a basis for the compilation of the results of the presidential election. And that the democratic game is so distorted.

"It is false and archifal. This is not a will to fraud, but a computer error. Agetic [Agence des techniques de l’informatisation et de la communication] hosts the electoral register. There was an error in the application allowing this hosting. This will be corrected " replies General Siaka Sangaré, President of the General Electoral Directorate (DGE), the organ responsible for the management of the electoral register.

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Is the file verified by the OIF the one sent to the Imprimerie de France, responsible for printing the 8 million voter cards that will be used by Malians to vote on the 29th? July ? Or on the contrary, is it the alleged parallel and fraudulent file that has been sent? General Sangaré is formal: "This is the audited file. Bailiff's report in support.

A few hours before the start of the controversy, a meeting was organized between Tiébilé Dramé and Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, the Malian prime minister. To remove doubts, the head of government has announced in particular "the transmission of all documents relating to the file audited, ordering and delivery of biometric voter cards to all candidates" . 19659014] But the presence of duplicates that would be contained in the alleged parallel electoral file is not the only discovery announced by Soumaïla Cissé's team. "You also have additional polling stations approaching the thousand" assured Mr. Dramé.

Appeal to the international community

Corrections of this "computer error" promised by the State Malian enough to calm the opposition? Nothing is less sure. "It is obvious that we can not be content with technical solutions, such as" there were technical or computer errors " had warned Mr. Dramé at the press conference.

" The extent of the findings, their seriousness, makes that technical solutions are not enough. It requires political measures, with the involvement of representatives of the international community " he continued, without detailing the desired political measures.

For this expected election, the European Union (EU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) have deployed hundreds of observers. None has yet reacted to this controversy. "What is completely crazy in this story is that the verification work we did, any observer could have done" surprised a close to Mr. Cissé. 19659011] Read also:
        
    
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International observers who, according to Tiébilé Dramé, were denied access to the government's compilation centers. The European Union (EU), which will have on the day of the vote, 80 observers on the ground, does not confirm this refusal but recognizes that "contradictory declarations were formulated" . "We are trying to get firm commitments on the presence of internationals in the compilation commissions, in accordance with the agreement that was signed with the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs" slips a collaborator from the mission.

If the expected measures were not taken before the day of the vote, would "Soumi" consider boycotting the ballot? "I did not say that Soumaïla Cissé was going to boycott the ballot" corrects her right arm. His family confirms it: Soumi will be on the starting line. Because like Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, nicknamed "Boua" ("the old", in Bambara), at 69, Soumaïla Cissé knows that he will play next Sunday his last card to try to seek the supreme magistracy.