Mali Junta Proposes Return to Democracy Within 18 Months

BAMAKO (Capital Markets in Africa) — Mali’s military leadership on Saturday proposed a return to democracy within 18 months as they wrapped up talks with political parties and civil society leaders following a coup last month.

Delegates proposed a transitional council and government led by an interim president, according to a proposal presented Saturday after three days of talks in the capital Bamako. A council appointed by the ruling junta would be charged with naming a president and a prime minister, according to the proposal.

Other issues remain unsolved, including whether the interim president should be a civilian or a military, said Sy Kadiatou Sow, a member of the opposition coalition the June 5 Movement – Rally of Patriotic Forces. Sow, who led mass protests calling for former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to resign, said the final proposal was a “power grab” by the junta.

“The final proposal doesn’t at all reflect what’s been said over two days of intense talks,” she said.

The junta, known as the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, is under international pressure to transfer power to an interim government. The Economic Community of West African States has rejected the junta’s proposal of a transition period of three years, calling for elections to be held within one year.

The regional bloc has given the junta until Sept. 15, before a meeting with ECOWAS leaders, to name a civilian interim president, or risk facing further sanctions. ECOWAS stopped all money transfers and closed its borders with Mali following the Aug. 18 coup.

Source: Bloomberg Business News