The election of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita as president of Mali and the concession of his opponent Soumaïla Cissé seem to open a smooth transition back to constitutional rule after 18 months of turmoil. But the new president will need to reunite a country divided by decades of rebellion and de facto partition when radical islamists took control of the north last year. IBK, as he is know by his initials, will also have to deal with the influence of France, whose heavy military presence is still visible across Mali. RFI discussed those challenges with Susanna Wing, a political science professor and author of the book Constructing Democracy in Transitioning Societies of Africa: Constitutionalism and Deliberation in Mali.
