AFRICA/MALI - Caritas Mali: "Elections substantially correct"

Bamako (Agenzia Fides) - While in Mali people are awaiting the results of the first round of presidential elections held on 28 July, Caritas Mali sent Fides Agency a preliminary report on the conduct of the election.
Caritas Mali, in collaboration with "Secours Catholique-Caritas France" and "Caritas au Sahel" deployed throughout the Malian territory an electoral observation mission, consisting of 153 people, mostly students and young graduates.
From the reports received from several polling stations, Caritas Mali drew a generally positive picture on the conduct of the vote. "Apart from the slightly late start of the voting operations caused by the delay or momentary absence of some scrutineers and the material difficulties such as the lack of booths in some polling stations, the voting took place in a peaceful manner, with a strong mobilization of voters in all the districts visited, except in the Kidal region", the report said.
The document welcomes the presence in the seats of representatives of different candidates, of the CENI (Independent Electoral Commission), the press, as well as members of law enforcement and rescue who ensured the safety of the vote.
The Caritas report highlights some problems: difficulty on behalf of individual voters to find their polling station; intimidation attempts of the electorate in the capital Bamako and block of the vote in Kidal; inexperience and inadequate training of scrutineers. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 31/07/2013)