Mali has announced Ibrahim Boubacar Keita as its new leader when the government confirmed the ex-prime minister had won a landslide victory in a presidential poll intended to give a fresh start to the conflict-scarred nation.
Figures for Sunday's second-round ballot announced on live television on Thursday by the interior ministry showed the former prime minister won an overwhelming 77.6 per cent of the vote, with his rival Soumaila Cisse trailing on 22.4 per cent.
Mali's first election since 2007 was seen as crucial for unlocking more than $US4 billion ($A4.41 billion) pledged by international donors who halted aid after a separatist uprising led to a 2012 coup and an Islamist insurgency that plunged one of the region's most stable democracies into turmoil.
Former finance minister Cisse had already conceded the second round run-off to Keita after it became apparent as early as Monday morning that victory was beyond his grasp.
Turnout was recorded at 45.8 per cent, Interior Minister Moussa Sinko Coulibaly said, while just 93,000 ballots were spoiled, compared with 400,000 in the first round.
Keita has become known for his blunt speech, his refusal to compromise and his reputation for toughness.
But his regime begins already mired in controversy after it emerged on Wednesday that Captain Amadou Sanogo, who led a group of fellow mid-level officers to overthrow then-president Amadou Toumani Toure on March 22 last year, had been promoted.
