In Mali, the transitional authorities dissolve the Observatory for Elections and Good Governance. An association which, as its name indicates, observes the conditions for holding elections and the transparency of electoral processes in the country. The announcement was made this Wednesday evening by press release following the council of ministers. This decision, taken at a high level, is a hard blow for Malian civil society and, more generally, for civic space in the country.
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Two reasons are given by the transitional authorities: the first is that the Observatory has not communicated its sources of funding to the administration, as required by law. A breach which could have been resolved quickly and without fuss, unlike the second reason given. “ The president of this association makes statements likely to disturb public order, including his predictions on the (participation rate) June 2023 referendum », It is said in the press release.
Ibrahima Sangho chairs the Observatory for Elections and Good Governance in Mali, as well as Modele, the Election Observation Mission in Mali, which brings together around thirty civil society organizations. As such, during the holding of the highly contested constitutional referendum, Ibrahima Sangho made public the observation made by the dozens of observers deployed in the country, on the fact that the vote had been prevented, by the CSP rebels, in the Kidal region. In contradiction with the Aige (Independent Election Management Authority), the official body in charge of holding the vote, which had ensured, thus guaranteeing its validity, that Malians were able to vote throughout the territory. Aige had communicated its figures for the entire country… except for the Kidal region.
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Did the transitional authorities dissolve the Observatory because they failed to tackle the thirty or so organizations brought together within the Observation Mission? Why this delayed sanction, six months after the events? At the beginning of the month, Ibrahima Sangho affirmed in the press that it was possible to quickly hold the presidential election supposed to end the transition period and asked the authorities to set a new date. As a reminder, Colonel Assimi Goïta committed by presidential decree to put an end to the transition next March, but the election scheduled for February was canceled, and Malians still do not know when they will be able to vote.
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