Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, a central figure in Mali’s political life for over 20 years, was the winner in Sunday’s runoff vote in the landlocked West African nation’s presidential election, as his rival, Soumaila Cisse, conceded and congratulated his compatriots on a civic duty well done.

The election, which gained plaudits from African, U.S., and European observers, represents a major step toward the restoration of constitutional stability in a country that has been under attack from al Qaeda-linked North African militants, as well as separatists demanding a Tuareg state in the vast savannah and desert regions north of the Niger river.   It also frees up some $4 billion in pledged international aid, suspended in the aftermath of the coup that interrupted the electoral process originally scheduled for May 2012.  President Francois Hollande of France is expected to attend Keita’s inauguration next month in Mali’s capital of Bamako.