All voter cards reach Bamako ahead of Mali elections

The Malian authorities on Tuesday received the remainder of the NINA voter's cards (National Identification Numbers) at the Bamako Senou international airport. The representative of Mali's territorial administration minister said the government had all the cards for the 6,877,449 voters. He said the preparation of the cards cost the Malian government a total of 8.514 billion FCFA (17 million U. S. dollars) and that almost all the money came from the national budget. The ceremony to make the occasion was attended by representatives of other institutions involved in the organization of Mali's presidential elections. The same source on Friday said Mali's Territorial Administration Minister Moussa Sinko Coulibaly will officially launch the distribution of the NINA cards. The first round of Togo's presidential elections is scheduled to take place on July 28.