Mali's military junta announced Friday a referendum on a new constitution to be held on June 18 in a delayed step towards a return to civilian rule in the west African nation wracked by insurgency.
The referendum had been scheduled for March 19 but was postponed indefinitely as the impoverished Sahel state battles jihadist and separatist insurgencies that broke out in the north in 2012.
Government spokesman colonel Abdoulaye Maiga read out a decree on state television saying the country would be called upon "to decide on the Constitution" in June.
The new constitution is the first major step in plans the military has invoked to justify continuing to govern until 2024, following the overthrow of former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020.
Elections are due to be held in February 2024 to restore a civilian government in Bamako.
"Voters will have to respond by a 'yes' or a 'no' to the following question," on the referendum, the spokesman said. "Do you approve of the draft constitution?"
Members of the security forces will vote early on June 11, white ballots for yes, red for no.
The spokesman, who had stated that 2024 re mained the electoral "deadline" when he announced the delay, said Friday the government had "kept its word".
