MALI: Third candidate claims place in election run-off

Three candidates in Mali’s presidential election claimed on Tuesday to have made it into a two-candidate run-off vote, adding to confusion over a poll beset by claims of irregularities and armed attacks that prevented thousands from voting. Candidates are forbidden by law to announce results before they are officially released, but rival parties have given […]

Three candidates in Mali’s presidential election claimed on Tuesday to have made it into a two-candidate run-off vote, adding to confusion over a poll beset by claims of irregularities and armed attacks that prevented thousands from voting.

Candidates are forbidden by law to announce results before they are officially released, but rival parties have given differing outlooks based on their own polling.

A spokesman for the Democratic Alliance for Peace said its candidate, gold magnate Aliou Diallo, had come second and won enough votes in Sunday’s election to force a two-candidate second round poll next month. 

His statement follows claims on Monday from incumbent President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who is seeking a second term and believes that he is in the lead, and rival Soumaila Cisse, whose camp said it has made it to a second round run-off against Keita.