The nine members of the Constitutional Court of Mali were officially appointed on Friday, according to the presidential decree consulted by AFP, in accordance with the recommendations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the end of July to leave the country of the political crisis.
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The Constitutional Court is considered to be one of the points of contention triggering the current political crisis, after it invalidated at the end of April some thirty results of the legislative elections of March-April, including ten in favor of the majority of the president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. Since this decision, a coalition of opponents, religious leaders and members of civil society has demanded the departure of President Keïta, in power since 2013. The weekend of July 10, a demonstration degenerated into three days of deadly unrest. In an attempt to dissipate tensions, the Head of State announced in July a “de facto dissolution” of the Constitutional Court.
The ECOWAS, which came twice to Bamako to try to calm the situation, recommended at the end of July that the thirty or so deputies, whose election had been invalidated by the Constitutional Court, resign, and that new judges be appointed to the Court. . But in early August, the deputies concerned - including the President of the National Assembly, Moussa Timbiné, who appointed three of the nine members of the new Constitutional Court on Friday - refused to resign. Members of the new court are due to be sworn in on Monday.
The so-called June 5 Movement, banner of the protest against Malian power which continues to demand the resignation of President IBK, announced on Friday that a new demonstration would be organized Tuesday in Bamako "and in regional capitals" , according to Choguel Maïga, president of the M5 strategic committee. The M5 also announced Friday that it had filed a complaint after the unrest of July 10-11-12 in Bamako, during which at least 11 people according to the authorities were killed, 14 according to the UN, 23 according to the M5. The public prosecutor in charge, Mamoudou Kassogue, said Wednesday that a judicial investigation had been opened against X, on the instructions of the authorities, "for murder, aggravated injuries and fatal blows" concerning these disturbances.