Leading candidates announce their plans as campaigns open in Mali

The campaigns for the first round of Mali's July 28 presidential elections officially opened on Sunday, July 7, 2013. The leading presidential candidates like Ibrahim Boubacar Keita commonly known as IBK (RPM), Soumaila Cisse (URD), Modibo Sidibe (FARE) and Dramane Dembele (ADEMA) launched their campaigns with major public rallies held in stadiums in the capital. The biggest rally was that of IBK who addressed his supporters at the March 26 Stadium in Yirimadio, Mali's biggest stadium with a capacity for 50,000 people. At the same time, Soumaila Cisse launched his campaigns at Barema Bocoum stadium in Mopti region, but the event was cut short by rains. As for Modibe Sidibe, he officially launched his campaigns in Abdoulaye Macoro Sissoko stadium in Kayes. The candidate for the biggest political force in the country, Dramane Dembele of ADEMA party, opted for Babemba Traore stadium in Sikasso. This was a strategic choice given that this southern region has the highest number of voters. It was in this southern region that Mali's deposed president, Amadou Toumani Toure, launched his campaigns in 2002. As for the candidates who were considered to be outsiders by the political observers, they chose to launch their campaigns in small sports grounds or hotels in Bamako. The only female candidate, Aichata Cisse Haidara, decided to organize a caravan through the Malian capital to attract her admirers, especially women and youth. "Malians were waiting that at least one of the candidates can launch their campaigns in Gao or Timbuktu. This would have proven their attachment to the idea of Mali's territorial integrity. Unfortunately, none of them thought of going there to launch their presidential campaigns," regretted Cheick Traore, a Malian lawyer. Besides the large turn-out in the rallies for the candidates, what was different at those ceremonies was the big, and in some cases "unrealistic" plans that the candidates announced. Most of the presidential candidates spoke about their commitment to promote peace, security, education, job creation and development. "We plan to, among other things, rehabilitate 1,500 hectares in 35 different sites in Kayes region. The expected impact of this move will be guaranteeing food security for the region's 250,000 people and the creation of 15,000 direct jobs as well as 27,000 indirect jobs for the youth and women," Sidibe said as he launched his campaigns in the region. They will also establish a National Pact for Rural Employment which will target over 600,000 youths from 12,000 villages across the country, he added. "I want to publicly commit that I will create 500,000 jobs for youths in the next five years. This will be in addition to the financing of 500,000 projects for women during my term," URD's Cisse said. "To restore Mali's glory, I will ensure there is security across the national territory. I will guarantee the security of all Malians. For me, there's no price that is too high to pay for security. To guarantee it, I will reinforce the capacity of our security forces and increase surveillance across the national territory," said Boubacar Keita of RPM. From now onward, there is no terrorist or criminal group that will walk on the Malian territory and fail to meet with security forces that are ready for combat. I have said it, I will do it! Insha Allah!" he reiterated. IBK also promised to reinforce the education sector and build more government offices to ensure proper service provision to the public. He further promised to ensure "zero tolerance" to corruption. "These are just promises, and the electoral promises are only meant to win elections," said Kader Toe, a resident of Bamako. His opinion is shared by many other analysts who observed that none of the politicians was indicating how they will ensure their promises are executed, or how they will finance the projects. As for the candidate for Party for National Renewal (PARENA), Tiebile Drame, "the time for change had come." He promised to reduce the term of the president of the republic from five to four years. Elsewhere, PARENA party promised to file a case at the Constitutional Court to demand the postponement of the July 28 elections because of the failure to ensure that over 350,000 youths who have reached the voting age, register to participate in the elections. And while addressing the media after the "total liberation of Kidal" on Sunday evening, Mali's Interim President Dioncouda Traore promised to meet all the 28 candidates who have been cleared to contest in the elections. "I will soon meet all those who have been cleared by the Constitutional Court to seek for votes from their fellow citizens, and whom I have already congratulated for their courage and dedication to Mali," the interim president said. "I therefore wish to call upon all Malians, both within the country and those in the diaspora, to ensure the success of the elections, just as they ensured the liberation of our national territory," he said. Traore said he was looking forward to addressing his fellow citizens on the day for swearing in the country's next president.