Malian opposition candidate Soumaila Cisse said Monday that he would reject the results of a presidential runoff against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, which has been marred with accusations of fraud. Ballot counting is underway in the western African country after Sunday’s second round vote. The results are not expected until midweek at the earliest, but Keita is predicted to confirm a second term in office. Cisse, 68, has accused the government camp of electoral fraud, including vote buying and ballot-box stuffing.
“We have a large lead. We do not accept that our voice is stolen,” he said at his party’s headquarters in the Malian capital, Bamako. “The fraud is proven, this is why there are results we will not accept.”
Cisse, the leader of the Union for the Republic and Democracy (URD) party, called upon his supporters “to rise up.”
“We will not accept that a president wins through fraud. And we will show that there is fraud,” he said. “This fight is in your hands, dear supporters.”
Full Article: Mali opposition candidate rejects presidential election results | Africa | DW | 14.08.2018.