Fight for amendments consistent with the new constitution –

Enacted on June 24, 2022, Law N^oOn the initiative of the Government, the National Transition Council (CNT) amended Law 2022-19 on February 28, 2023, relating to the Electoral Code. After this first amendment, as part of the referendum to be held in June 2023, the Electoral Code will be amended again, this time to adapt it to the provisions of the Constitution of July 22, 2023.

Initiatives for the New Amendment of the N Law^oAct No. 2022-19 of June 24, 2022, concerning the electoral code, which is also expected to initiate the process of organizing future elections at the end of the transition, was adopted by the Council of Ministers on July 24, 2024.

The bill, adopted on the basis of a report submitted to the Prime Minister by the representative of the minister in charge of political and institutional reforms, seeks to take into account the “innovations” brought about by the Constitution of July 22, 2023, which “fundamentally affect the system of governance and elections in our country”, but also to “correct a certain number of shortcomings”.

The new features of the Constitution of 22 July 2023 include new amendments to the electoral code, the creation of the Senate as the second chamber of Parliament, the participation of Malians in legislative elections abroad, the possibility of using mixed voting in legislative elections, among other things, and the extension of the time interval between the two rounds during the elections of the President of the Republic.

“Since the promulgation of the Constitution on July 22, 2023, changes to the electoral law are expected, since it is clear that elections cannot be held as they are if the electoral law is not adapted to the new Constitution. Now that the government is taking the initiative, this could mean that the authorities are organizing elections in the coming months,” estimates political analyst Omar Sidibé.

After the Council of Ministers, the electoral bill amending the electoral law of June 24, 2022 must be submitted to the National Transitional Council, which must review it again before voting on its adoption.

According to our information, the revised text has not yet been submitted to the transitional legislature, which officially ended its April regular session on July 4. But the National Labor Union will be able to investigate it at its next regular session, which begins on October 7, 2024, or in a special session at the request of the government.