“I solemnly announce the results of the constitutional referendum of June 18, 2023. The distribution of votes: “Yes” – 3,154,644 votes, so the result obtained is 97.06%, the Chairman of the Election Management Committee told the public TV channel ORTM.
Also this Friday, the independent electoral administration institution Aige announced the valid referendum, with an estimated turnout of 38.72%. A total of eight million Malians were invited to vote.
The referendum, originally scheduled for March 19, was postponed due to the need to set up polling stations in all regions of the country. In May, the Malian interim government set the new date for the referendum on June 18th.
In order to proceed to the vote, each respondent had to answer “yes” or “no” to the question of whether they supported the draft constitution proposed by the transitional authorities in Mali.
The currently valid third version of the Malian constitution dates from 1974.
The new constitution, approved on June 18, aims to strengthen the powers of the future president, who will determine the nation’s policies, and reaffirms the commitment to the republican form and the secularism of the state. According to the draft constitution, the head of government is elected for five years and may not be in office for more than two terms.
Under the new national law, “the government is accountable to the President” and no longer to the National Assembly. The legislative initiative would lie with the president and parliamentarians and no longer with the government and the national assembly. The President is also given the power to dissolve Parliament.
The new constitution provides for the creation of a second chamber of parliament – the Senate – and the Chamber of Accounts.
The 13 main languages of Mali become state languages. At the same time, French is given the status of a “working language”.