Mali junta postpones constitutional referendum



Mali’s ruling junta will postpone a constitutional referendum but keep a previously agreed timeline to return to civilian rule, a government spokesman said in a press statement on Friday.

“The Transitional Government informs national and international public opinion that the date of the referendum scheduled for March 19, 2023… will be slightly rescheduled,” Abdoulaye Maiga said.

The referendum is an important milestone on the way to elections scheduled for February 2024.

The junta said it would first create subdivisions of the electoral management body in all regions of the country.

He also said that he wants to acquaint the public with the draft constitution before the vote.

“A new date for the referendum will be set in consultation with the independent election management body and all stakeholders in the electoral process,” Maigi said in a statement.

The final draft, handed over to junta leader Assimi Goita on February 27, asserts “attachment to the republicanism and secularism of the state.”

Mali is facing an 11-year security crisis sparked by a regional uprising in the north that has grown into a full-blown jihadist insurgency.

It has been run by the military since August 2020, leading to a break with France, the country’s traditional ally, and close ties with Russia.