On Sunday 18th June, Malians were invited to vote on the draft constitution proposed by the transitional authorities, pending the results in the next few days. The Mali Election Observation Mission, which had deployed more than 3,000 observers in the country, put the turnout at 27%.
This figure is lower than usual in Mali. Over 34% of voters turned out for the second round of the last presidential election in 2018, and almost 36% for the legislative elections in 2020, for example.
The election was deemed “illegitimate” by some politicians, who called for a boycott. Others called for a vote but rejected a text that greatly strengthens the powers of the president. Supporters of the authorities, on the other hand, called for a massive vote in favor of the new text to move towards a return to constitutional order and to provide the country with institutions deemed more appropriate.
The vote could not be held throughout the country. In particular, it did not take place in Kidal (north), which is controlled by the former independence rebels of the CMA, signatories to the 2015 peace agreement, and opponents of this constitutional project.
Several dozen polling stations were unable to open because of the terrorist threat or were closed hastily, either because of attacks or because gunfire was heard nearby. This is what the observers found in the circles of Bankass, Bandiagara, Niono, Nara, and Koro, to name but a few.
Several ministers and even the President of the transition, Colonel Assimi Goïta, issued statements on the day of the vote to encourage the population to go to the polls and support the new Constitution.