2018 Malian presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Mali on 29 July 2018.[1][2] In July 2018, the Constitutional Court approved the nomination of a total of 24 candidates in the election.[3] As no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a runoff was held on 12 August 2018 between the top two candidates, incumbent President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta of the Rally for Mali and Soumaïla Cissé of the Union for the Republic and Democracy. Keïta was subsequently re-elected with 67% of the vote. It was the first time in Malian history that a presidential election was forced into a runoff between incumbent and a challenger.

2018 Malian presidential election
29 July 2018 (first round)
12 August 2018 (second round)
 
Nominee Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta Soumaïla Cissé
Party RPM URD
Popular vote 1,791,926 876,124
Percentage 67.16% 32.84%
Results by cercle
President before election

Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
RPM

 President-elect

Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
RPM

Politics of Mali
Constitution
Government
Parliament
Administrative divisions
Elections
Foreign relations
flag Mali portal

Background

In accordance with the 1992 constitution, presidential elections take place every five years. The previous elections, first scheduled for 13 May 2012, were delayed until 28 July 2013 due to the 2012 coup d'état that overthrew President Amadou Toumani Toure.[1]

A peace deal between Tuareg separatists and the government was signed in 2015 following negotiations through a diplomatic channel extended by the Malian government. The creation of the Macina Liberation Front in 2015, led by the preacher Amadou Koufa, has led to increased ethnic tensions and violence in the country.[4]

There has been little or no violence in Mali's past elections which have in previous years been conducted with no protests.[5]

Electoral system

The President of Mali is elected by absolute majority vote using the two-round system to serve a 5-year term.[1]

Pre-election

There was doubt as to the safety of the elections to be held and of the governments' ability to hold them.[6] If held, the French diplomat Jean-Pierre Lacroix has said that "the upcoming presidential elections will mark the beginning of a new chapter in the stabilization of Mali".[7]

Voter registration

As of July 24, there were 8,461,000 registered voters set to cast their vote 23,041 polling stations.[8]

Of the Malian refugees living in Mbera, Mauritania, 7,000 people registered to vote in the elections.[9]

Candidates

There were 17 confirmed candidates and 13 more were pending as of late June.[10] In the end, on July 5, the Constitutional Court approved the nomination of a total of 24 candidates in the election.[1][10][11] Some of them include:[1][3]

Candidate Party
Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta[12][13][14] (incumbent) Rally for Mali[12]
Mohamed Ali Bathily[1]
Soumaïla Cissé[1]
Modibo Kone[15]
Choguel Kokala Maïga[1]
Moussa Mara[16][17]
Oumar Mariko[18]

African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence

Djeneba N’Diaye[1]
Yeah Samake[19] Party for Civic and Patriotic Action
Harouna Sankaré[1]
Kalifa Sanogo[12][20][15][21] Alliance for Democracy in Mali[12][20]
Moussa Sinko Coulibaly[15][21]
Cheick Mohamed Abdoulaye Souad[1]
Hamadoun Toure[15]
Mountaga Tall[1]

Protests and violence

On 6 June, thousands gathered in the capital Bamako to protest against Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.[22]

On 25 July, following a robbery at a pharmacy, protesters "burned tyres and torched vehicles" in Timbuktu in response to the deepening insecurity and alleged mistreatment by police. This precipitate a violent clash the following day involving about 100 people.[23]

On 31 July, gunmen attacked a convoy carrying election materials in the Ségou Region. This attack and the following shootout killed four soldiers and eight attackers.[24]

Results
CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Ibrahim Boubacar KeïtaRally for Mali1,331,13241.701,791,92667.16
Soumaïla CisséUnion for the Republic and Democracy567,67917.78876,12432.84
Aliou DialloDemocratic Alliance for Peace256,4048.03
Cheick Modibo DiarraCMD236,0257.39
Housseini Amion GuindoConvergence for the Development of Mali124,5063.90
Oumar MarikoAfrican Solidarity for Democracy and Independence74,3002.33
Modibo KoneMali Kanu Movement72,9412.29
Choguel Kokalla MaïgaPatriotic Movement for Renewal68,9702.16
Harouna SankareHarouna Movement57,4061.80
Mamadou Oumar SidibeParty for the Restoration of Malian Values54,2741.70
Modibo SidibeAlternative Forces for Renewal and Emergence45,4531.42
Kalfa SanogoAlliance for Democracy in Mali (unofficial)38,8921.22
Mamadou Diarra36,1241.13
Modibo KadjokeAlliance for Mali30,4790.95
Moussa Sinko CoulibalyIndependent30,2320.95
Adama KaneIndependent26,0840.82
Daba DiawaraParty for Independence, Democracy and Solidarity22,9910.72
Mountaga TallNational Congress for Democratic Initiative20,3120.64
Dramane DembeleAlliance for Democracy in Mali18,7370.59
Mohamed Ali BathilyAssociation for Mali17,7120.55
Hamadoun ToureIndependent17,0870.54
Yeah SamakeParty for Civic and Patriotic Action16,6320.52
Mamadou TraoreMIRIA15,5020.49
Madame Djeneba N'diayeIndependent12,2750.38
Total3,192,149100.002,668,050100.00
Valid votes3,192,14993.442,668,05096.89
Invalid/blank votes224,0696.5685,6483.11
Total votes3,416,218100.002,753,698100.00
Registered voters/turnout8,000,46242.708,000,46234.42
Source: Constitutional Court

References
  1. Mumbere, Daniel (10 July 2018). "Everything you need to know about Mali 2018 presidential election". Africanews.com. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  2. "Mali : Élection présidentielle 2018 : Le premier tour aura lieu le dimanche 29 juillet". maliactu.net. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  3. Mumbere, Daniel (2018-07-26). "Mali's 2018 presidential poll: meet the 24 contenders". Africanews. Archived from the original on 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  4. "As presidential vote nears, violence in central Mali goes overlooked - France 24". France 24. 2018-07-27. Archived from the original on 2018-07-28. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  5. Cocks, Tim; Diallo, Tiemoko (July 31, 2018). "Third candidate claims place in Mali election run-off". Reuters. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  6. Dakono, Baba; Maïga, Khadija (26 March 2018). "Mali's problems are much bigger than July's presidential election". Institute For Security Studies. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  7. "Amid Growing Insecurity, Parties to Mali Peace Accord Must Increase Efforts towards Restoring Stability, Peacekeeping Chief Tells Security Council". un.org. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  8. "Mali elections 2018: Why presidential vote matters". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  9. "Mali elections marred by rocket attacks, violence". Deutsche Welle. 29 July 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  10. "24 candidates get go ahead in Mali election". News 24. 2018-07-05. Archived from the original on February 24, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  11. "Mali's president to face 23 contenders in July 29 vote". Deutsche Welle. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  12. Dahir, Abdi Latif (2 January 2018). "The eight African elections to watch out for in 2018". qz.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  13. "Mali shocked by resignation of prime minister". The Guardian. 29 Dec 2017. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  14. Akwei, Ismail (15 January 2018). "Eight African countries likely to get new presidents in 2018". Face 2 Face Africa. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  15. "Bank official, tech exec announce Mali presidential bids". News24. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  16. "Mali: Moussa Mara annonce sa candidature à la prochaine élection présidentielle". RFI Afrique. 10 April 2018. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  17. "Moussa Mara presidential candidacy for 2018 Mali elections: List of promises and video". probonomatters.co. 10 Apr 2018. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  18. Sangare, Alpha Sidiki (31 May 2018). "Présidentielle de 2018 : Le Parti SADI investit Oumar Mariko, candidat du changement". Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  19. "BYU grad, former Utah resident running for President of Mali, West Africa".
  20. Maina, Wachira (5 March 2018). "Elections offer faint hope for stability". Daily Monitor. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  21. "Army general joins race to challenge Mali's president in 2018". The Independent. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  22. Oteng, Eric (June 8, 2018). "Thousands of Malians march against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita". Africanews.com. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  23. "Clashes rock Timbuktu as Malian election looms". www.enca.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-28. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  24. "Deadly attack on Mali election convoy". AAP. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
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