The first Mormon President

"The first LDS leader to be elected president of his country may not be Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman Jr., but rather Yeah Samake, who has recently announced his candidacy for the president of Mali.

Currently serving as the mayor of Ouelessebougou, Samake is in Utah for a few weeks to generate support and plans for his campaign.

Samake was elected mayor of Ouelessebougou in 2009. At that time, the collection of 44 villages was ranked 170 out of 174 municipalities in Mali in terms of economic development, transparency of government and management. "We have since been able to bring it into the top 10 in the country. Ouelessebougou is now a pilot municipality because of the way we have run things with transparency, public participation and strict financial accountability."

Wherever poverty and literacy abide in large measure, corruption can creep into politics, and that has been the case in Mali in the past, but the people are seeking a change, says Samake. "Integrity and accountability have become very important."

Samake has instituted a council of tribal elders, what he likes to call his "Elder's Quorum," where each village sends two trusted elders to the council. It keeps leaders accountable and has become an agent of communication to the communities. "It has become a vehicle of change," says Samake. "People are gaining trust in their local leaders." And that has translated into economic change. "The collection rate of taxes has risen from less than 10 percent to 68 percent."

Full Article Here

I was so impressed when I read about Samake that I decided to take some of my birthday money and make a donation to his campaign. A week or so later I received a thank you in the mail personally signed by him. I figure that this man could effect some real change in a country with much more scarce resources than our own. If you find your self able to make a similar contribution you can do so here.