Скачать или смотреть Mali Votes: Long lines of voters cast ballots in first ballot since 2012 coup and Islamist invasion

Voters headed to ballot stations across Mali on Sunday for the west African country's first election since last year's coup. Polling continued at a brisk pace in Bamako during the afternoon, with long queues of voters building up across the capital. Logistical and technical problems have plagued the hastily organised vote, resulting in tens of thousands of people who registered to vote not appearing on the electoral roll. The vote is meant to be a new beginning for a country that was once an example of democracy in West Africa and a pre-condition for receiving foreign assistance. In the southern portions of the country, including in the capital, voter turnout appeared to be far higher, reflecting the north-south split which has plagued Mali since its independence from France 53 years ago.