The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has deployed 150 poll observers to witness the second round of Mali’s presidential election which is being held on Sunday.The observers are tasked with monitoring the exercise across Mali but with emphasis on the capital Bamako and the southern and central regions of Sikasso and Segou.
They are headed by ex-Ghanaian head of state, John Agyekum Kufuor with the technical support of an ECOWAS team led by the regional grouping’s chairman Kadre Desire Ouedraogo.
Mr. Kufuor and Mr. Ouedraogo who arrived in Bamako on Saturday hailed the patriotic attitude of the 27 candidates for unanimously accepting the outcome of the first round held on July 28.
The runoff follows last month’s first round elections which according to the Constitutional Court was won by 68 year old IBK with 39.8 percent of the votes ahead of Cisse who polled 19.7 percent, neither candidate garnering the 50 percent plus one vote threshold required to avoid a runoff.
In the lead up to the second round the two front-running candidates who eventually lost to deposed president Amadou Toumani Toure in the 2002 presidential elections had talked up their chances of winning the presidency with IBK the overwhelming favorite this time round.
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