Mali: President Keita wins second term

By Alpha Kamara

BAMAKO

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won a second term after the presidential runoff held Sunday in the country, bagging 67.17 percent of the votes.

His rival, opposition leader Soumaila Cisse got 32.83 percent of the votes.

The turnout was just 34 percent.

The announcement was made on national television by Local Government Minister Mohamed Ag Erlaf Thursday afternoon.

Opposition leader Soumaila Cisse rejected the election result as "unacceptable" and "a shame".

"We will use democratic means to contest the election result that declares President Keita the winner. The result did not reflect the truth and the will of the Malian people,” Cisse’s campaign manager Tiebile Drame told a press conference in Bamako.

Keita was first elected in 2013 and has failed to bring peace to the violence-hit country, his main pledge during his first presidential election campaign.