Mali’s lawmakers on Monday approved a plan allowing the military government to rule for up to five years, AFP journalists said, despite regional sanctions imposed on the country over delayed elections. The army-dominated legislature also decided that the country’s interim president cannot stand for a future democratic election, as part of the same bill.
After staging a coup in the impoverished Sahel state in August 2020, Mali’s military rulers initially promised to hold a vote in February 2022. But in December last year, the military government proposed staying in power for between six months and five years, citing security concerns. In response, the Economic Community of West African States last month imposed a trade embargo and closed its borders with Mali. The bloc has called the potential length of the transition unacceptable. Of the lawmakers attending the vote, none voted against the bill or abstained, AFP journalists present said. Mali’s interim leader, President Colonel Assimi Goita, has pledged to restore civilian rule, but he has refused to commit to a date. Tensions with the military government contributed to France’s announcement last week that it was withdrawing its troops, which are deployed under the Barkhane force to fight armed groups in the Sahel, from Mali.
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