Mali’s transitional government is aware of its commitment to a fixed deadline for organizing elections to restore democracy after last year’s coup, Prime Minister Choguel Maiga said on Friday.
Since the overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020, political factions in Mali and foreign partners have been looking at whether the military-led interim authorities will stick to a promise to hold elections within 18 months.
Maiga presented the interim action plan to the government and outlined four key policy areas, which included delivering transparent and credible elections after the creation of a new electoral body.
“As for the fixed timeline for the transition and our international commitments, the sole electoral body will follow a simple implementation process,” he said without confirming any election dates.
“These elections will be the barometer of the success of the transition,” he said.
The road to the February 2022 legislative and presidential election has already been complicated by a second coup in May, when a leader during the first coup – Colonel Assimi Goita – ousted transitional leader Bah Ndaw to become interim president.
Regional blocs, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union have suspended Mali from their organizations, but declined to impose further sanctions while repeatedly urging the authorities to keep the votes on schedule.
The transitional government said in April that it would hold a referendum on October 31, council elections on December 26 and legislative and presidential elections on February 2. 27.
There are concerns that important reforms and electoral processes may not be implemented in time, which may require an extension of the powers of the transitional authorities.
(REUTERS)
