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Malians went to the polls on Sunday to pass judgement on the governing junta’s constitution, which has fuelled speculation that the country’s strongman ruler will seek an election
Malians went to the polls on Sunday to pass judgement on the governing junta’s constitution, which has fuelled speculation that the country’s strongman ruler will seek an election. The West African nation has been under military rule since an August 2020 coup, which came after a decade of instability marked by jihadist insurgencies and political and economic crises.
Some 8.4 million citizens were eligible to vote on the draft constitution in the first electoral test for leader Colonel Assimi Goita, 40, who has vowed to lead the country back to civilian rule in 2024 elections. But election turnout is typically low in the country of 21 million, where many have grown weary of chronic instability, while others face the direct danger of jihadist attacks in central and northern regions. Security is an ever-present concern and there is always the risk of an attack.
The new constitution will strengthen the role of the president, who will have the right to hire and fire the prime minister and cabinet members. The government will answer to the president, and not parliament as the current 1992 document states.
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It will also give powers to the President to give amnesty to those behind prior coups, reform the regulation of public finances, and force MPs and senators to declare their wealth in a bid to clamp down on corruption.
