Carl keita's former prime minister ibrahim bubba is favourite to win the presidential election on Sunday, Mali, hoping to restore stability in a country divided by last year's coup and islamist insurgency.
The winner of the runoff vote will be responsible for more than $40 billion in foreign aid promises to restore the west African country, after France sent thousands of troops in January to break the grip of al-qaeda linked rebels over the desert to the north.
After decades of sporadic uprisings, combined with trigger a coup in March 2012, the ousted former President amadou, toure and islamists seized the northern two thirds of the problem, he must also the deep-rooted corruption and to build a lasting peace and figure reg o people in northern Mali.
Risking a downpour, dozens of voters lined up in front of the mamadou ar school capital Bamako Badalabougou area near the river waiting for the polling stations to open.
25 students, the first cast a vote, vote at 8 a.m. (0800 GMT) moussa having said: "this is my duty to vote,".
"I hope that the new President will make education, youth employment and health care priority," he said.
Voting took place in about 21000 polling stations across the southern inland national forest, 160000 people, about 90% of the families in Mali, and high in the northern city of timbuktu, islamic sharia law.
Keita, on July 28, won nearly 40% of the first round of voting for front-runner, order and restore honor once proud country, this is seen as a bastion of instability of the stability of the region.
Article 22 of the 25 lost the first round of the candidates have thrown their weight behind keita, 68, was known as the IBK, who won the reputation firmness in broken students in the 1990 s, he was the prime minister of protests and strikes.
His rival, Sue Myra cisse, 63, who headed west African monetary union JingHuo league (west Africa) from a technology of northern Mali, the promise of 19% in the fourth round, improve education, job creation and reform of the army.
Although no. 3 gold producers, African Mali - twice the area of France - is the poorest in the world, and one of the least developed countries.
"I will vote for the reported," said timothy Jia Xi, 28, the main market traders in Bamako, it is a support keita stronghold. "He is a a man of his word, when he says no, and that means no."
Because of the weeks
The end result is expected to the middle of next week.
The former colonial power France to promote fast election turned out 3000 troops and hand security responsibility gradually deployed 12600 United Nations peacekeeping mission.
Some observers have warned that rob the election could lead to problems, but a clean bill of health, the European Union election observers gave the first round. About 49% of people in the 6.8 million registered voters to vote - Mali's record.
Voting CARDS and votes are distributed in the neighbouring MAO tower, the burkina faso and Niger, about 170000 camps in Mali.
Many in Mali, hope can change a system of "consensus politics", under the temptation of toure's enemies and the position of the government, reform did not discredit his government in the eyes of the voters.
"I think we will see a change, said:" : African national democratic institute in Washington, a senior researcher at Chris Fomunyoh. Personality differences between "" candidate is so great, who lost to create a real opposition. "
Keita has captured people's mood, avoid outspoken criticism of the coup leader toppled toure, win the blessings of military tacit understanding. He also succeeded in bringing in Mali powerful islamic clerics, some of them has been approved by him.
Critics say, cisse, condemned the coup, and support the political class, corruption, but he refused, saying he is a defender of democracy.
, July 28 election fraud allegations have raised questions about the result of the later, he vowed to accept the results of the second round.



Other News:
Former PM favorite for president as Malians vote to end crisis
Growth in China trust assets slows as shadow banking crackdown bites
Japan government to take bigger role in Fukushima clean-up
U.S. slowly opening up commercial drone industry
Time Warner Cable offers unconventional deal to end CBS blackout
Soros Fund withdrawing all of its money from Pershing
Pakistani soldiers wounded in new Kashmir confrontation with India
Deutsche Telekom profit up, cuts outlook