Nouakchott — Malians headed to the polls on Sunday (July 28th) for the first nationwide ballot since armed extremists were ousted from the country's north.

Despite threats from al-Qaeda splinter group Movement for Tawhid and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) to derail the presidential election, there were no reports of violence.

MUJAO Shura Council head Adnan Abou al-Walid on Saturday threatened that "the centres and stations of the so-called election, army's barracks and bases, and gendarme bases" would be attacked.

The statement warned those whom it described as "Muslims of Mali" against taking part in the vote and urged them to avoid election centres.

But Malians were undeterred. Turnout reached 50 per cent, according to the European Union's observer mission.

Exit polls suggested that of the 27 candidates on the ballot, former premier Ibrahim Boubacar Keita had taken a clear early lead. Final results are expected Friday. Analysts anticipate that a second round vote on August 11th will likely be needed.

"No one in northern Mali paid any attention to the MUJAO statement because its goal was just to confuse things," Malian journalist Moussa Coulibaly told Magharebia.

Citizens say they hope for stability in the region.

"There is no doubt that the election is a step on the road to restoring constitutional institutions to northern and southern Mali," said Bechir Ould Babana, a Mauritanian analyst and chief editor of Sahara Media. "However, security stability will always be missing, especially in the northern provinces."

"The terrorists have been weakened, but the sleeping cells are still there," he said.

The election "will allow Sahel countries to co-ordinate with the Malian state to control things", he said. Restoring security in full, he added, "will require the African forces to stay longer in northern Mali".

Meanwhile, members of the Touareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) expressed reservations about the election.

"This election didn't give us any solutions for our problems with marginalisation and exclusion," said Touareg activist Mohamed Ali Ag al-Mubarak. "No Touareg candidates are running for this election, and most of us couldn't get our election cards, and therefore, the next president will just repeat his predecessor's mistakes against Touaregs."

Ag al-Mubarak added, "If there is no real development in the north, and if our sons are not integrated in the army and government institutions, terrorism will remain, and the security of Sahel countries will still be threatened."

"African and Maghreb countries have to encourage the Malian government to develop the northern areas of Mali as the only way to consolidate security there," the Touareg activist said.