Government Government of Mali President Mali
Description of Work:
Amadou Toumani Touré was born on 4 November 1948, in Mopti, where he attended primary school. He joined the army and attended the Kita Inter-Military College. As a member of the Parachute Corps, he rose quickly through the ranks and after numerous training courses in the Soviet Union and France, he became the commander of the parachute commandos in 1984.

In March 1991, after public demonstrations were violently quelled in which over 100 pro-democracy demonstrators were killed, he participated in a coup d'etat against Moussa Traoré. He became leader of the Transitional Committee for the Welfare of the People, and performed the functions of the head of state during the transitional period towards democracy. He organized the national conference (between 29 July and 12 August 1991) which drew up the Constitution of Mali, and held the legislative and presidential elections in 1992. When the results of the election became known he relinquished power to the newly elected president, Alpha Oumar Konaré. He thus gained the nickname "The Soldier of Democracy."

In June 2001, he became the special envoy of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to the Central African Republic after the failed coup attempt there.

In September of 2001 he asked for and was granted his expected retirement from the army. He decided to restart his political career by becoming a candidate in the upcoming presidential election. He was elected President of Mali in the 2002 presidential election, obtaining 64.35% of the vote in the second runoff vote. Touré was sworn in on June 8, 2002.

Touré announced on March 27, 2007 that he would run for a second term in the April 2007 presidential election. According to final results announced on May 12, Touré won the election with 71.20% of the votes. The main opposition candidate, and three other candidates, rejected the official results. Foreign observers, however, endorsed the election as free and fair. Touré was sworn in for his second term as President on June 8, 2007, at a ceremony attended by seven other African presidents.

(Information found at wikipedia.com and bbc.co.uk)