6,8 millioner kunne stemme ved søndagens præsidentvalg på 21.000 valgsteder i det enorme Sahel-land i Vestafrika, hvor franske tropper fordrev islamistiske militser, som udnyttede en svag og demoraliseret hær.
Many areas are still recovering after a northern rebellion and coup that led to foreign military intervention – but no major incidents were reported, BBC online reports Sunday.
There are 27 candidates and if no outright winner emerges, the voting goes to a second round on 11 August.
But hundreds of thousands of Malians in the north are displaced by fighting. The majority of them were not able to vote.
Islamist militants in the north warned people not to take part and have threatened to attack polling stations.
French troops are still deployed in the area with Chadian forces as part of the UN stabilisation force, MINUSMA.
Louis Michel, who leads the EU’s election observer mission, said that despite the problems he was “positively surprised” by preparations and that the conditions were acceptable.
Candidates include three former prime ministers, a former finance minister and one woman.
The frontrunners include Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, prime minister from 1994 to 2000, who founded his own party, the Rally for Mali (RPM), in 2001.
His biggest rival is seen as Soumaila Cisse, who founded the Union for the Republic and Democracy (URD) in 2003.
Soumana Sacko, another former prime minister, may expect a good showing if there is no clear winner.
