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Africa North
Hollande Says Mali Polls Must Take Place Nationwide
2013-05-11
[An Nahar] French President Francois Hollande
...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist...
 said Friday that elections scheduled in troubled Mali for July must be held nationwide, as instability in the north and a refugee crisis have raised doubts this will be possible.
"Natter, natter, natter," he added.
"We must make sure that Malian civil administration can be put in place everywhere for the organization of these elections. And La Belle France, through its military presence and other armies, will contribute to this," he said during a presser in Gay Paree.

"These elections must take place throughout the Malian territory, I insist throughout the Malian territory. No fraction of Mali must be deprived of the possibility of organising the election."

He said this extended to the far northeastern region of Kidal, held by Tuareg rebels who refuse to give up arms or take part in the elections until negotiations had taken place with Mali's government.

In addition, over 400,000 Malians have been displaced since the start of the crisis.

The national electoral commission said recently that July 7, the date most often mooted for the first round of a presidential election, "would be a difficult to achieve".
Posted by:Fred

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