Military leader in Mali announced this Monday the postponement of the presidential election scheduled for February 2024 and supposed to return power to civilians after the double military putsch of 2020 and 2021.
“The dates initially set for February 4 and 18, 2024 for the two rounds will be slightly postponed for technical reasons,” said government spokesperson Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga in a statement read to journalists in Bamako.
A dispute with a French company
The authorities cite among these “technical reasons” factors linked to the adoption in 2023 of a new Constitution and the revision of the electoral lists, but also a dispute with a French company, Idemia, involved according to them in the process at the level of the census.
“The new dates of the presidential election will be the subject of (a) press release later,” indicated the Malian government.
Last June, during a referendum described as “the worst vote in history” by the opposition, Malians approved a new constitution allowing certain members of the junta to run in the next presidential election.