A day after the nation's first confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus death, Mali announced that citizens will be able to go to the polls to vote in long-delayed parliamentary elections. The last parliamentary elections held happened in 2013, when currently President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta's Rally for Democracy party won a majority of the 147-seats. Though elections were supposed to have taken place in 2018, polling has been pushed back numerous times, primarily due to continued insecurity from Islamist militants.  

While some people are calling for the postponement of the polling once again amid the coronavirus pandemic, government officials state that hand-washing facilities and masks will be available at polling stations. Polling started at 08:00 local time on Sunday, though witnesses say that voter turnout appears low.

As of now, Mali has a total of 18 confirmed cases of Covid-19. Earlier this week, President Keïta declared a state of health emergency, closing all land borders and imposing a curfew from 21:00 to 05:00 local time.