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Foreign Minister Westerwelle on the election results in Mali
Foreign Minister Westerwelle issued the following statement today (15 August) on the election of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita as the new President of Mali:
It is a great victory for Mali that the second round of voting in the presidential elections also passed of peacefully and in a remarkably orderly fashion.
We respect the defeated candidate, who fairly conceded the race.
We congratulate the victor and new President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
Tremendous challenges await the newly elected President and his country. It is now vital for all the people of Mali to unite in pursuit of democracy, reconciliation and economic development.
Germany will do all it can to support Mali in this considerable endeavour.
Background
According to preliminary results, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the former Prime Minister of Mali, won the run-off election against former Finance Minister Soumaila Cissé on 11 August 2013.
The elections are an important step on the way to restoring constitutional order and democracy in this west African country. Mali has been in the grip of a complex political, security, humanitarian and economic crisis for some time now, and since a military coup in March 2012 has been run by a transitional government.
The situation deteriorated yet further in January 2013, when separatists and Islamists seized power in the north of the country. However, with the help of African and international partners, the Malian armed forces succeeded in forcing the Islamists back. Germany supports the efforts to stabilise Mali and do battle against terrorism, for example through the UN mission MINUSMA and the EU Training Mission (EUTM) Mali.