Mali: is the postponement of the referendum the prelude to an extension of the Transition?
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Text by: David Baché
5 mins
Is the postponement of the constitutional referendum the prelude to an extension of the Transition in Mali?
The transitional government officially announced on Friday March 10 that the ballot, scheduled for Sunday March 19, would take place at a later date which has not yet been fixed.
And this in order to regulate certain technical provisions related, in particular, to the installation of the very new “
Independent Authority of management of the elections
”.
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Some say they are reassured by this decision, others are worried about the consequences of this postponement on the rest of the Transition and in particular on its end.
First deadline of the electoral calendar agreed with ECOWAS, first sprain.
The West African organization did not wish to react to this announcement and did not respond to RFI's requests.
Should we see this as a sign of embarrassment or a sign of ongoing discussions with the Malian Transition authorities?
The constitutional referendum was to mark the start of a series of elections at the end of which the presidential election, announced for February 2024, will mark the end of the transition period.
The Malian government has not yet announced a new date for the referendum, but has clearly stated that the deadline, negotiated with ECOWAS for the return to constitutional order, remains an "absolute priority", because
"
the
leader of the State is firmly committed to respecting this date
".
The commitment is therefore firm, but will it be kept?
The supporters of the transitional authorities have no doubts about this and believe that this postponement is a wise decision given the difficulties linked to the organization of the referendum.
But those who think, on the contrary, that the five putschist colonels want to stay in power as long as possible see in this the beginning of a long-predicted scenario, that of the extension of the transition.
Above all, among the opponents, but also among the traditional supporters of the current authorities, many are worried about the divisions that this constitutional project is creating within Malian society.
Malian electoral observation organizations estimate that organizing the referendum by the end of June would make it possible to solve the technical problems - installation in the regions of the branches of the independent electoral management authority, distribution of biometric identity cards used electoral map, etc.
– without calling into question the continuation of the planned timetable until the return to constitutional order.
“
We could prepare, now we have to speed up
”
Former Prime Minister Moussa Mara, of the Yelema party, is neither a supporter nor an opponent of the current authorities.
He advocates a form of vigilant support.
“
It is cause for concern in the sense that the date has been known for several months.
We could therefore prepare logistically to meet deadlines.
Now, the transition is, by definition, a period of uncertainty, so we can understand that we are late, the government is determined to postpone for some time.
The essential question is: how to make up for this delay so that the various intermediate elections which are planned as part of the transition, until the last election which is the presidential election in 2024, can be held
?
How to move forward, how to catch up?
I therefore asked all the actors, in particular the chronogram follow-up group, to speed up the pace now, to no longer be satisfied with very light meetings, every month or every two months, but to work every week so that we can move forward very quickly.
I hope I will be heard.
»
“
A wise, honest and patriotic decision
”
Aboubacar Sidick Fomba is the President of the ADPM party (Democratic Alliance of the Malian People), in whose name he sits on the National Transitional Council (CNT, Legislative Assembly during the transition period) and Vice-President of Corema (Collective for the Refoundation of the Mali).
He is delighted with this decision, which he considers to be in line with the priorities of the moment.
“
It is a wise, honest, patriotic and coherent decision, because it goes in line with the recommendations of the National Assembly for Refoundation which requires that it be the Independent Election Management Authority which organizes the elections.
Of course, the return to constitutional order is a clear desire of the transitional authorities, but the priority of priorities is first of all to secure the territory and the necessary reforms before going to elections.
And there will be no elections in Mali without first, beforehand, the election
[le ballot, ndlr]
of the referendum.
That's what the people are asking for.
»
“The government is not working to respect the timetable”
Former Minister Amadou Koita, of the Socialist Party-Yeelen Koura, is one of the spokespersons of the Framework of Political Parties and Groups for the Return to Constitutional Order.
He is worried about this postponement and calls for the outright cancellation of the referendum.
"
We were not surprised because since the presentation of the timetable, we realized that no provision had been made to respect this timetable proposed, in a sovereign way, by the government of the Republic of Mali.
The government is not working to ensure compliance with the timeline and deadline for the transition.
It's a total disappointment for us.
A disappointment and a source of concern, that there is a slippage on the rest of the schedule.
Since the government itself has not been able to meet its commitments, the framework calls for the outright abandonment of the referendum.
The government must now get down to organizing the other intermediate elections and the presidential election, in accordance with the timetable that
»
►Also read: Mali: the National Transitional Council initiates the revision of the electoral law
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