Voters in Mali have cast their ballots in the second round of the country’s parliamentary elections on Sunday despite a partial lockdown instituted to contain the coronavirus pandemic, as well as several jihadist attacks and intimidation, including the kidnapping of opposition leader Soumaila Cisse.
The poll, which closed on Sunday, is a runoff election for 147 seats in the country’s National Assembly. It is also the final round of a two-part vote with the first, which was marred by the destruction of ballot boxes and low turnout, taking place earlier this year on March 29.
Voter Intimidation and Vote-Buying
Several cases of voter intimidation, violence and vote-buying were recorded during the election in Mali with reports revealing the cancellation of elections in a polling unit following threats from jihadists, the forceful removal of a representative of the country’s electoral commission by “armed men” at another polling unit, and the destruction of voting equipment in northern Mali.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Hamadoune Dicko, a parliamentary candidate for the Democratic Alliance for Peace party expressed fear with regards to the elections, “If they can abduct our opposition leader for 21 days, they could abduct a president, they can take anyone they want,” he said.
Kidnapping An Opposition Leader
The election also took place while opposition leader, Soumaila Cisse, who was kidnapped before the first round, remains in the custody of suspected militants in the country’s Northern Province. Cisse who was the main challenger in the 2018 presidential elections had been abducted in a village in the Timbuktu region, Mali, last month.
Despite securing the release of most of his companions who were also abducted, Cisse’s case remains a major priority according to the government and his party.
Mali and Elections During a Global Pandemic
While countries like Ethiopia have postponed their polls as a result of the pandemic, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita decided to push on with the elections which have been delayed since 2013. Mali has closed its borders and introduced a curfew to contain the disease but maintained that precautions had been set in place for voters at polling stations across the country.
Voters were asked to wash their hands and keep at least one meter apart when voting. So far, Mali has reported 216 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus and 13 deaths.
