Malians return to polls for 2nd round of voting

A presidential run-off vote is underway in Mali following more than a year of political turmoil that has devastated the West African country.

The second round of the presidential election kicked off at 8:00 a.m. local time in several regions of Mali on Sunday.

However, officials say heavy rains have kept many polling stations from opening on time in the capital city of Bamako.

“There’s a possibility the governor of Bamako will extend the polling stations’ closing hours if he deems it necessary,” media outlets quoted Issaga Kampo, the vice president of the National Independent Electoral Commission as saying.

Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is expected to defeat ex-Finance Minister Soumaila Cisse. Keita won 40 percent of the votes in the first round.

A record 49 percent of the 6.8 million registered voters cast their ballots in the first round in late July.

The run-off comes as some political analysts have already cast doubt as to whether Mali is ready for the vote.

In January 2013, the French military invaded the resource-rich African country to support the junta against local fighters. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people in the north have been displaced — the majority of whom will not be able to vote.

France’s Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian reaffirmed in April that the country would keep 1,000 troops in Mali even after the arrival of thousands of UN peacekeepers later this year.