Bamako, Malians are voting today in a second

round presidential election to determine if incumbent Ibrahim Boubacar

Keita will remain in office. He faces off against opposition leader

Soumaila Cisse.

Sunday’s polls opened to light rain and light turnout. Many worry

that the vote could be marred by violence. In the July 29 first-round

presidential vote, extremists killed three election workers and destroyed

some voting materials.

Nearly 43 percent of voters made it to the polls last month and

at least 671 polling stations were closed. Despite the relatively low

turnout, officials called the vote well-conducted.

Mali has grown more insecure since Keita beat Cisse in a

second round election in 2013.

Still, a second term for Keita, 73, seems likely. He received

41.7 percent of the vote in the first round from a field of 24 candidates

and has gained endorsements from some other candidates, the

Associated Press (AP) news reported.

Source: Oman News Agency