Malians voting in presidential runoff

Voters in Mali have begun casting their ballots for a president expected to usher in a new era of peace and stability in the West African nation. Polls opened at 8am on Sunday in a run-off that pits Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, 63, a former prime minister, against Soumaila Cisse, ex-finance minister. Almost seven million voters are taking part in Sunday's election that will see the new president leading Mali's recovery following a military coup that led to an armed uprising and a French-led military intervention. The two candidates declared themselves confident of victory in the run-off, called after none of the 27 candidates in the first round on July 28 achieved an outright majority. The election, the first since 2007, is crucial for unlocking more than $4bn in aid promised after international donors halted contributions in the wake of last year's coup. Al Jazeera Ahmed Idris, reporting from the capital Bamako, said it was not clear whether the turnout would be as high as in the first round. "The mood in Bamako and other towns is that of high expectation. People are hopeful that a new government is in place to immediately start tackling problems such as unemployment and corruption," he said. Source Al Jazeera.