The military government in Mali has announced its decision to delay the presidential election scheduled for February, 2024.
The election, aimed at returning the West African country to civilian rule has been postponed until further notice.
Government Spokesman, Abdoulaye Maiga told reporters that two rounds of voting, initially set for February 4 and 18, 2024, “will be slightly postponed for technical reasons.”
Maiga disclosed that those reasons include issues linked to the adoption of a new constitution and a review of the electoral lists.
He also cited a dispute with French company Idemia, over a civil registry data base.
“The new dates for the presidential election will be communicated later,” Maiga said.
Mali’s military leaders committed to hold the election in February following pressure from the Economic Community of West African States.
That led to the regional bloc lifting a set of trade and financial sanctions on Mali in July last year.
The sanctions were imposed in January 2022 when the military government was considering remaining in power for up to five years.
On June 18, 2023, Malians voted in a referendum, also postponed by several months, that introduced a new constitution, which opponents said grants the head of state sweeping powers.
However, the government said that it would pave the way to elections and a return to civilian rule.
Authorities are also refusing to organise legislative elections, initially scheduled for the end of 2023, before the presidential election.
According to a statement, the junta “has decided to organise, exclusively, the presidential election.”
It added that other elections will be held on a schedule “established by the new authorities, under the directives of the new President.”
Mali currently faces heightened activity by jihadist groups and a resumption of hostilities in the north by armed separatist groups.
Since August, there has been a series of attacks against army positions and civilians in the Timbuktu and Gao regions.
The junta pushed out France’s anti-jihadist force in 2022 and the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA in 2023.
The statement made no mention of recent security developments, saying only that junta leader, Assimi Goita intends “to return to a peaceful and secure constitutional order, after carrying out as a priority institutional political reforms.”
The junta’s move to delay the elections was criticized by Amadou Koita, President of Mali’s Yeleen-Kura Socialist Party.
He said, “Nothing explains the postponement of the presidential election.”
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