Malians voted on Sunday in a watershed presidential runoff election expected to usher in a new dawn of peace and stability in the conflict-scarred nation.

Almost 7 million voters have a choice between former prime minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and ex-finance minister Soumaila Cisse to lead Mali's recovery following a military coup that ignited an Islamist insurgency and a French-led military intervention.

Both candidates declared themselves confident of victory in the runoff, called after none of the 27 candidates in the first round on July 28 achieved an outright majority.

The presidential runoff vote is aimed at unlocking some $4 billion in aid that has been promised to help Mali recover. The funds, though, are contingent on a democratically elected government being in place.

Keita, known by his initials, "IBK'", has run on a campaign of restoring Mali's honor after a French-led military operation forced the jihadists into the desert earlier this year and paved the way for the Malian military to return to the northern cities it had fled in the wake of the 2012 Tuareg rebellion.

Turnout in the first round of voting was nearly 50 percent, though in the northern provincial capital of Kidal, where rebel flags still fly, it was a mere 12 percent. Separatist sentiment there remains high, though some within the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad had endorsed Keita because of his promise to hold a national dialogue on the crisis there.

Heavy rain

Most polling stations opened on time at 8 am, but several visited by reporters in Bamako were almost deserted after heavy rain fell on the capital.

"The rain is trying to ruin our day. I hope it stops, otherwise they will have to extend the voting hours," said Oumar Toure, one of the few voters who had turned up at a polling station set up in a downtown school.

"In the first round (July 28) at 8 am, there were already lots of people (here)," Mariam Kante said in the same center.

"The rain needs to let us fulfill our civic duty - the future of Mali is at stake."

The days leading up to the vote have been largely uneventful, with cities and towns deserted as Malians - more than 90 percent of whom are Muslim - stayed at home to celebrate the Eid festival marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The rivals have faced off before, losing the 2002 presidential election to Amadou Toumani Toure, who was overthrown by a military junta in March last year as he was preparing to end his final term in office.

Keita, who is considered the favorite, was more than 20 percentage points ahead of his rival in the first round, but Cisse has remained optimistic.

"I am confident because it is not about adding to the votes from the first round. There will be new votes, it is a new election. Everything restarts from zero," the 63-year-old told AFP.

AFP-AP

(China Daily 08/12/2013 page11)