Mali ruling military junta on Monday, September 25 called off presidential elections that were to take place in February 2024.
At the same time, the junta said the delay was because of technical reasons. The election was aimed at returning civilian leaders to power in the country.
The two rounds of voting were initially set for February 4 and 18, 2024. “The polls will be slightly postponed for technical reasons”, government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga said in a statement read out to journalists.
“The new dates for the presidential election will be communicated later,” Maiga added.
However, “the Junta has decided to organize, exclusively, the presidential election”, read part of the statement by government spokesperson.
The statement further stated that other elections will be held on a schedule that shall be established by the new authorities, under the directives of the ‘new president’.
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Notably, the soldiers, who carried out back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, had earlier promised legislative elections for February 2022.
In addition, the junta, led by Assimi Goita, highlighted some issues linked to the adoption of the new constitution and a review of the electoral lists.
He also cited a dispute with French company Idemia, which the junta says is involved in the census process.
Mali Military Coups
Mali has had three military coups in a span of eleven years. In 2012, Mali’s military took over the government.
Nonetheless, the coup which was led by junior military officers cited frustrations from the government’s handling of a Tuareg insurgency in the north of the country. The military then overthrew the democratically elected government.
With the military push, by midnight the President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced his resignation on the state-run television network.
Consequently, the takeover opened a power vacuum that violent extremist groups exploited, together with the Malian armed forces.
With the surge in political instability, the country then experienced the second coup on August 18, 2020.
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Subsequently 2020 coup was widely welcomed by the public and opposition politicians who had become frustrated with Keita’s weak leadership and tolerance of corruption.
This however took weeks of negotiation before the terms for a transition back to democratic rule was agreed between the coup leaders and mediators from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the regional bloc to which Mali belongs.
Colonel Goita was then installed as transitional vice-president, a recognition of the army’s still powerful influence. An 18-month deadline was agreed for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held.
In less than nine months after the 2020 coup another coup came over ousted by Colonel Goita.
Col Assimi Giota seized power in Mali, detaining transitional President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane after accusing them of failing in their duties and trying to sabotage the West African state’s transition to democracy.
Political Instability
French troops helped regain territory, but attacks continued as the insurgents have capitalized on the persistent political instability in the region.
This has all led to public confidence warning over the army leaders’ ability to tackle the Islamist insurgency that has spilled into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
However, its subsequent coup led to suspension from regional bloc ECOWAS.
