Mali protest movement opposes draft constitution released by military junta

Bamako, Mali: A Mali protest movement that helped to depose former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has stated its opposition to a draught constitution released by the military junta that followed him.

According to a statement obtained by AFP on Thursday, the so-called M5-RFP alliance said that the new charter’s writing process had not been honoured.

“The members of the finalisation commission were not elected or freely chosen,” it said.

The draft reinforces a power imbalance “in favour of the President of the Republic, whom it sets up as a monarch,” the statement said.

Keita was toppled in August 2020 by disgruntled military officers as he faced a wave of protests over his handling of the country’s long-running jihadist insurgency.

The new constitution is the centrepiece of plans the military has invoked to justify continuing to govern until 2024.

The draft significantly strengthens the power of the president.

It says the head of state, and not the government, “determines the policy of the nation”, appoints the prime minister and ministers and has the right to terminate their functions.

Since Keita’s fall, the M5-RFP has split between supporters of Prime Minister Choguel Maiga and a faction that is more critical of the junta.

A referendum on the draft constitution was due to be held on 19 March but has been postponed until further notice.

Another movement critical of the junta, the “February 20 Call to Save Mali”, on Wednesday announced it rejected the text.

An influential organisation of imams have also said they are opposed, as have armed ethnic Tuareg groups in northern Mali.

Those groups on Thursday also said there was “no way to build a common future” with authorities in the capital Bamako.

They made the comments during a ceremony in Kidal celebrating the unilateral proclamation of independence 11 years ago by one of their main armed factions.

On Wednesday, the former rebels accused the ruling junta of “provocation”, saying fighter jets had flown low over four of their bases, amid fears of renewed hostilities between the two parties.

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