Campaigning in
Mali's presidential election ended Friday, two days ahead of a vote seen as
vital for a return to peace in a country traumatised by war and political
chaos. Voters will have a choice of 27 candidates as they go to the polls on
Sunday.
It is the first vote since a separatist uprising led to a coup and
then an Islamist offensive last year in what had been up until then, one of the
region's most stable democracies.
The transitional government declared Friday a public holiday to
allow as many Malians as possible to collect their voter cards. The latest
figures showed 85 percent had been distributed to the electorate of almost
seven million.
The three-week campaign has played out without major incident,
although renewed violence in the north last week cast doubt over Mali's
readiness to deliver a safe election and a credible result.
Louis Michel, head of the European Union observation mission, said
voting conditions had been met for the first round, which will be followed by a
run-off on August 11 if no majority winner emerges on Sunday.
Voice of Russia, AFP
