MALI’S junta leader, Colonel Assimi Goita , officially promulgated the country’s new constitution on Saturday, signalling the beginning of the Fourth Republic after a successful referendum held last month. The announcement was made by the Colonel’s office.
The endorsement of the final results of the referendum on the draft constitution by Mali’s Constitutional Court paved the way for the promulgation. The new constitution was published in the official gazette by Col. Goita, a day after receiving the court’s approval.
During the June 18 referendum, an overwhelming 96.91 percent of the voters supported the proposed constitutional changes. Despite a turnout of 38 percent, electoral authorities declared the results valid.
Since the military coup in August 2020, Mali’s military has stressed the significance of the new constitution in the country’s reconstruction and development.
While validating the results, the Constitutional Court dismissed opposition demands to annul the outcome, citing allegations of irregularities and insufficient voting in certain regions.
Mali has experienced two subsequent coups in recent years, with the latest one occurring in May 2021. Following the 2020 coup, the junta initially pledged to hold elections in February 2022, but later rescheduled them to February 2024.
