Russia counts on Mali's soon return to civilian rule based on inclusive dialogue with the outlook to hold a free and fair election following the post-coup transitional period, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2020) Russia counts on Mali's soon return to civilian rule based on inclusive dialogue with the outlook to hold a free and fair election following the post-coup transitional period, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
The statement came as part of the greetings sent to Mali for its Independence Day.
"We know that Mali is going through uneasy times today in the wake of the recent forceful change of power. We count on the country's soon return to civilian rule based on an inclusive national dialogue with the outlook that free and democratic elections will be held following a short transitional period with the assistance of the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
On August 18, a group of Malian soldiers initiated an uprising at a military base near Bamako. They demanded political reforms, the transition of power and a new general election. Rebels kidnapped several high-ranking officials, including then-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse. Keita subsequently announced the resignation of the government and parliament.
The restive military established its own agency, dubbed the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, and launched broad consultations with the other political and civil forces from September 10-12 in a bid to agree on a governance model for the period before new elections.
On September 12, they adopted a plan to form a transitional government that would rule the country for the next 18 months led by a president, who could be both a military serviceman or a civilian. The plan was rejected by Mali's key opposition force, the June 5 Movement-Assembly of Patriotic Forces, which said that the plan ignored the interests of the non-military consultation participants.
