Mali: political parties of all stripes are calling for a new short transition process
Opened with the military coup of August 2020 and already extended twice, the transition period officially ended the day before yesterday, Tuesday March 26. This was the date set two years ago by a presidential decree signed by Colonel Assimi Goïta himself. But since then, the presidential election scheduled for last month has been postponed again. No new date has been set. The Malian transitional authorities have not communicated about this exceptional situation and remain in place. But Malian political parties, and not just opposition parties, are now calling on them one after the other.
Colonel Assimi Goïta, at the head of the Malian transition (Illustrative image) MICHELE CATTANI / AFP
By: David Baché
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The Synergy of Action for Mali is concerned about the “
legal vacuum
” in which the country is now “
plunged.
” » This coalition of political parties and opposition civil society organizations therefore calls, once again and unsurprisingly, for “
the establishment of a Civil Transition
” and calls on “
the living forces of the nation
” “
to join this fight to save the homeland in danger.
» Synergy activities were banned by the governor of Bamako at the beginning of the week, officially for security reasons.
New short transition
The Yelema party of former Prime Minister Moussa Mara, usually much less critical, is joining forces for the occasion with the M5-RFP-Mali-Kura - former traveling companions of the transitional Prime Minister Choguel Maïga who left in dissidence. They jointly believe that “
the Transition cannot drag on forever
” and recommend “
redefining the contours and objectives and identifying the actors of a new short Transition.
» They too invite “
the Malian people to come together to defend the principles of democracy.
»
The RPM of former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita calls on the transitional authorities to “
responsibility
” and “
respect for commitments sovereignly made to the national and international community.
» The RPM suggests the establishment “
urgently
” of “
a new transitional mechanism
” for a maximum period of six months.
“Democratic backpedaling”
Adema invites the transitional authorities “not to allow the legal vacuum to persist” and calls for a new “
consensual
” electoral calendar for a return to constitutional order “
within an acceptable time frame
.” » Mali's oldest party, usually not very virulent, denounces "
the prolonged silence of the transitional authorities
" who, six months after announcing a "
slight postponement
", have in fact set no new date for the presidential election. Which, for Adema, “
does not contribute in any way to calming the socio-political climate.
»
The PDES, the party of the heirs of former President Amadou Toumani Touré, “
urges the highest authorities to break the silence and work for the rapid return to normal constitutional order.
» The PDES “
expresses its serious concerns
” about the “
lack of clarity
” of “
the current trajectory of the Transition
”, and makes the bitter observation of “
democratic backpedaling
” and “
the political and economic regression of the country.
»
Read alsoMali: the transition period officially ends but the authorities remain in place
Finally, the Parena of Tiébilé Dramé calls for “
consensually setting a timetable for a return to constitutional order through free, transparent and credible elections.
» The White Ram Party also pleads for the release of prisoners of conscience, the return of political exiles, an end to the dissolution of associations and political parties and even an end to arrests for crimes of opinion.
Two days after the official end of the transition period, the authorities in Bamako remain completely silent on the subject. On the other hand, in a message posted on social networks on Wednesday, Colonel Assimi Goïta declared having had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the two leaders decided to “
cooperate further in the fight against terrorism.
»
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