Mali To Postpone Elections Slated For Early 2022 For Security Reasons - Foreign Minister

Presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for early next year in Mali will be postponed due to the volatile security situation across the country, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th November, 2021) Presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for early next year in Mali will be postponed due to the volatile security situation across the country, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said on Thursday.

The remark was made at a joint press conference after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Diop is currently in Moscow for a three-day working visit, running from Wednesday.

"Mali is going through a period of transition. That period should end on February 27, but, unfortunately, that will not be possible. Not because the Malian authorities do not want that, but because we are realistic about our objectives. Today, of the 19 regions of Mali, only five are able to organize elections, so we are working to ensure security in our country in order to create the conditions necessary for holding the elections," Diop said.

The turbulent situation in Mali is explained by two military coups that have hit the country since 2020. The first takeover took place on August 18, 2020, and saw President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita be ousted from power. The military group appointed Ba Ndaw as interim president.

The latter, however, was arrested by soldiers on May 24. The Military Council, led by Vice President Assimi Goita, took over the country and set presidential and parliamentary elections for next year. The constitutional court of Mali declared Goita president of the transitional period.