Malians vote in presidential runoff amid security concerns

Malians are voting today in a second round presidential election to determine if incumbent Ibrahim Boubacar Keita will remain in office in this sprawling West African nation threatened by rising extremist violence.

Keita faces off against opposition leader Soumaila Cisse.

The polls opened to light rain and light turnout as many worried 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.

Malian authorities arrested three jihadists on Friday who said they were preparing to carry out an attack during the vote in Bamako, said Mali army spokesman Col. Idrissa Traore today.

Extremists were staging more bold attacks that have spread to central Mali, where both Islamic State and al-Qaida-linked militants are present.

Deadly communal clashes between ethnic groups and accusations of heavy-handed counter terror operations have caused even deeper tensions and mistrust of the state.

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.

Dressed in his traditional white boubou, Keita voted near his home in Bamako on Sunday.

"I hope that everyone will be very vigilant," he said, adding that any suspected attempts at fraud should be reported to police.

"Ultimately this election must end as it should, with the celebration of democracy... This is what we hope for in our hearts," he said.

Cisse, 68, who placed second in the first round with nearly 18 percent of the vote, blamed Keita for the violence and corruption. The opposition party also alleged there was voting fraud in July.

Cisse has not received major endorsements from failed candidates but does have the backing of a popular spiritual leader Mohamed Ould Bouye Haidara.

"This time, I have a good feeling," Cisse said.

His campaign director Tiebile Drame charged there were cases of stuffing of ballot boxes in several northern locations.

However the constitutional court on Wednesday said it has registered more than 10 requests from the opposition over various anomalies in the first round, but most were declared inadmissible.

On Saturday, the opposition organized a march "to warn against the fraud."