Hundreds of people demonstrated against the results of recent elections in Mali’s capital on Saturday after opposition leader Soumaila Cisse alleged fraud.
Cisse lost the election to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, but on Friday said he had actually won and claimed the vote had been rigged.
Hundreds took to the streets in a peaceful protest in support of Cisse, with participants shouting slogans like “you will not steal our voice” and “IBK leave,” using the president’s initials.
When noone managed to win a majority in the July elections, a second round was held on August 12 which saw the president garner 67.17 per cent of votes compared to Cisse’s 32.83 per cent.
Only provisional results have so far been announced and the West African nation’s Constitutional Court is expected to announce final results on Monday.
Late Friday Cisse said the results did “not reflect the reality of the ballot box” adding that “the credibility of the ballot is still questionable.”
“I can prove I won this election with 51.75 per cent of the vote,” he claimed.
Only about 35 per cent of Mali’s eignt million eligible voters cast their ballots in the second round.
The low turnout was caused by a volatile security situation in the country’s north and centre, where various Islamist and separatist groups regularly stage attacks, as well as voter apathy.