New Mali president names banker as first prime minister

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's new president has named Oumar Tatam Ly, a former senior official in West Africa's regional central bank, as his first prime minister, according to a statement read on state television on Thursday. Ly held a number of posts in the BCEAO central bank before becoming Mali's director at the bank and then special advisor to the governor. The announcement was made a day after Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was sworn in as president, pledging to stamp out corruption and bring peace to Mali after a turbulent 18 months saw a coup and a rebellion plunge the gold exporter into crisis. (Reporting by Adama Diarra and Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by David Lewis; editing by Ralph Boulton)