Mali’s constitutional court delayed the Country’s parliamentary elections until 2019 by extending the mandate of MPs for six months, as requested by the National Assembly on Monday, according to the two Institutions.
Citing “Force Majeure” the court said it “extends the mandate of Representatives until the end of the first semester of 2019”, according to the order, seen by AFP, which gave no further details.
Elections was originally5 slated for October 28, but they were postponed to November 25 last month by the government. It said delays in registering candidates after a strike by judges meant some candidates had been unable to obtain and submit the necessary documentation before the deadline.
In August, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, 73, was re-elected President with more than 67% of the vote, but the outcome was challenged in the constitutional court by his opponent, former finance minister Soumaila Cisse, who alleged fraud.
Mali has been plagued by violence since 2012 when Tuareg separatists staged an uprising in the north, which was then exploited by jihadists to take over key Cities in the region.
