Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta announced on Saturday evening a " de facto dissolution " of the Constitutional Court in an attempt to dissipate the almost insurgent tensions which have been plaguing the capital Bamako for two days.
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The Constitutional Court focuses the protests in progress, with the president himself. In a brief television address, the second in a week, Keïta said he would revoke the decrees appointing the judges of the court still at their posts, which in his words amounts to " de facto dissolution ".
The decision of the Constitutional Court to invalidate around thirty results of the legislative elections of March-April is considered to be a trigger for the dispute which reached its peak on Friday and Saturday. This protest raises fears for Mali's allies of further destabilization in a country already plagued by jihadism, inter-community violence and a whole series of major challenges, in a region which is itself tormented.
Mr. Keïta seemed to pave the way for partial legislative elections in the constituencies affected by the invalidation of the Constitutional Court, as recommended by a recent mission of good offices from the community of West African States (Cédéao) dispatched to defuse tensions.
" I have decided to revoke the decrees appointing the remaining members of the Constitutional Court and to move towards the implementation of the recommendations resulting from the mission of the ECOWAS, " he said. " This de facto dissolution of the Court will lead us as of next week to ask the competent authorities for the designation of members so that, quickly, a reconstituted court will help us find solutions to the disputes arising from the legislative elections ," he said. he declares. Some of the nine members of the Court have already resigned. One is dead.