Mali: Assimi Goïta validates the draft of the new constitution

In Bamako, the president of the transition, Colonel Assimi Goïta, announced the validation of the draft constitution solemnly handed to him by the commission in charge of finalizing it on February 27. The text, informs the press release published by the Government on Wednesday evening, will be presented to the living forces of the Malian nation on March 20.

According to the press release signed by the Government Spokesman, Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga, “Following the submission of the draft constitution by the finalization committee, the transitional government informs that the President of the transition, Head of State, Colonel Assimi Goïta has validated the draft constitution which was solemnly submitted to him by the finalization committee on February 27, 2023. Through the document, “His Excellency the President of the Transition congratulates the members of the drafting committee of the draft constitution and those of the committee responsible for finalizing the draft constitution,” said the same statement.

In validating the document, Colonel Assimi Goïta invited the members of the government to work for its popularization. “The Head of State has instructed members of the government to take ownership of the draft constitution and to take all appropriate measures to popularize it among our brave people,” the text said.

Thus, as part of this popularization of the draft constitution, “His Excellency the President of the transition determined to work for the deep aspirations of the Malian people has decided to present the draft constitution to the living forces of the nation on March 20, 2023,” added the spokesman for the government of Mali.

It should be noted that the validation of the draft constitution comes at a time when not all Malians share certain aspects of the document. This is the case, for example, of the league of Imams of Mali, which on March 7 urged all patriotic Muslims to vote against the draft of the new constitution in its current form.

The imams had demanded the outright withdrawal of the principle of secularism contained in the document, replacing it with a “multi-faith state. According to them, “secularism is a trick that the rulers use at will to lock up religion(s)” whereas in the draft constitution, Mali is an “independent, sovereign, unitary, indivisible, democratic, secular and social Republic”.