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Head of ECOWAS observation mission commends orderly voting in mali
BAMAKO – The Head of ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM), Prof. Amos Sawyer has commended Malians for their orderly conduct during balloting on Sunday to fill the country’s 147-seat parliament.
The legislative election is the last stage of the political transition process facilitated by ECOWAS to restore constitutional order and the country’s territorial integrity after its 10-month political and security crises.
“The electoral process today has been orderly, security and the general atmosphere is fine and the preparation has been very good,” Prof. said after observing the elections in several voting centres in the Bamako municipalities, accompanied by a delegation that included Ambassador Aboudou Toure Cheaka, ECOWAS Commission President’s Special Representative to Mali.
The Head of Mission also commended the noticeable improvement in the delivery of poll materials and expressed the hope that the process would gather momentum for successful poll after a slow start.
The Hamallaye Marchie Polling centre with 59 polling stations in Bamako’s Community IV was his first port of call, where the polling Coordinator Souleymane Kanoute informed the head of the regional observer mission that the voter turn-out was expected to improve after a handful of voters had cast their ballots by 8.30 AM, thirty minutes after official opening of the process.
The polling official also observed that although the legislative poll is closer to the people, the general expectation is that the turn-out would not be as high as in the recent presidential election in the country of 16.5 million with 6.5 million registered voters.
A similar slow start to the process was noted at the Groupe Scolaire Aminata Diop, also in Bamako Community IV as well as Mairie Centrale de Bamako polling centre in Community III, and Lycee Sacre Coer ACI in Community V.
Of the 446 registered voters at polling station 003 in Community III, some 40 had cast their ballots by 12.09 PM, while in polling station 009, fifty of the 472 registered voters had voted by 12.30 PM.
Members of the 100-strong ECOWAS Observation Mission have been deployed across Mali’s eight regions including Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu in the north, as well as the six Bamako Communities.
Voting ended at 6 PM in the more than 20,000 polling centres nationwide with some 1,141 candidates from the ruling party and opposition coalitions and independents, vying for the National Assembly seats.
Prof. Sawyer and his delegation returned to Groupe Scolaire Aminata Diop centre with 18 polling stations to observe the counting of votes.
Polling official Mohamed Lamine Idrissa and his colleagues in the presence of agents of candidates and observers recorded 80 votes or 16.5 percent turn-out from the 484 registered voters at polling station 067. The ruling party, RPM polled 20 of the total 80 votes, while the opposition UDR got 16 votes.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) have disclosed details of their recent closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu, explaining that the engagement focused on strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The clarification came amid speculation surrounding the meeting, which took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja after leaders of several opposition parties attended an Iftar dinner hosted by the president earlier in the week.
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Speaking during a gathering hosted in Abuja by the SDP’s former presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo on Friday, the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, said the meeting with Tinubu followed an official invitation from the Presidency and lasted about an hour.
According to Gombe, the discussion centred on the need to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral laws and restore public confidence in the country’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 polls.
He explained that the meeting provided an opportunity for party leaders to remind the president of the importance of conducting transparent, free, and credible elections.
Gombe noted that democracy can only thrive when governments listen to the concerns of citizens and ensure electoral processes that guarantee fairness and accountability.
The SDP chairman also expressed concern over growing voter apathy, pointing to the low turnout recorded in the recent Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the Abuja Municipal Area Council election witnessed only about seven per cent voter turnout, which he described as a clear sign that many Nigerians are losing confidence in the electoral system.
Gombe urged the government and members of the National Assembly to take urgent steps to review electoral laws and rebuild public trust in Nigeria’s democracy.
Also speaking, the National Chairman of IPAC, Dr. Yusuf Dantalle, said political parties used the meeting to raise concerns about aspects of proposed electoral reforms, particularly issues related to indirect primaries and the mandatory electronic transmission of results.
Dantalle explained that the parties appealed to the president to use his influence to encourage legislative review where necessary, noting that reforms should strengthen, rather than complicate, the democratic process.
He expressed optimism that Tinubu would consider the concerns raised and support necessary amendments that would improve the electoral system.
The IPAC chairman also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strictly adhere to electoral guidelines as preparations for the next election cycle begin.
Earlier in his remarks, Adebayo cautioned political actors against turning the 2027 general elections into a do-or-die contest, stressing that the primary goal of democracy should be the progress and stability of Nigeria rather than personal political victories.
He urged leaders across political parties to encourage citizens to actively participate in the democratic process and ensure that elections are conducted peacefully and transparently.
President Bola Tinubu and Mr. Taiwo Oyedele during his nomination on Wednesday.
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