Mali's ruling junta will only organise elections to hand back power to civilians once the security situation has been completely stabilised, the military-appointed prime minister has said.
The West African country has been ruled by juntas since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, with the worsening security situation aggravated by armed militants and separatist groups.
"The stabilisation phase must reach a point of no return, a point that is sufficiently stable to be able to organise elections," said prime minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga, without giving a date, during an address broadcast on state television and social media late Thursday.
The military authorities have faced domestic criticism after failing to honour a commitment to hand back power to civilians by March 26, 2024, as promised under pressure from regional bloc ECOWAS.
'Enemies of Mali'
Maiga said that those within the country calling for elections to be held as soon as possible were serving the interests of the "enemies of Mali" and denounced "democratic naivety."
The prime minister also sought to justify the junta's move on Wednesday to suspend the activities of political parties, marking the latest crackdown on dissent.
He said the state had regained control of its entire territory since ending its alliance with former colonial power France and the European Union in 2022, before forging closer ties with Russia.
But he added that stability would only be possible after the end of a national dialogue launched on December 31 by the head of the junta, Colonel Assimi Goita.
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