Malians approve new Constitution with 97% voting in favor

By Aurore Bonny

DOUALA, Cameroon (AA) - A total of 97% of the electorate in Mali voted for constitutional change, the country's electoral authority announced Friday.

The figures by the Independent Electoral Management Authority (AIGE) in front of national and international media at the International Conference Center in the national capital of Bamako revealed that just 3% voted “No.”

The so-called "provisional" results represent more than 3 million voters after votes were counted at more than 24,000 polling stations out of 24,416.

Approximately 40% of Mali's 8.4 million electors turned out to vote Sunday, according to AIGE.

The military, which voted June 11, turned out at a rate of more than 73%, with nearly 94% voting "Yes,” according to AIGE.

Other independent organizations, armed groups and signatories to a national peace agreement, reported irregularities and abductions during the elections.

In "almost all the regions" of the north, where "no voting took place," with the exception of main towns in the regions, "ballot boxes were stuffed without restraint," according to armed groups.

The new Constitution proposed by the junta, which has been in power since 2020, strengthens the powers of the president and provides amnesty for those responsible for coups prior to its promulgation.

It precedes the presidential election scheduled for February in a country plagued by security, political, humanitarian and economic crises linked to terrorism.