Mali ’s interim legislature has elected Colonel Malick Diaw, a member of the military government that toppled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August, as its president.
The 121-seat body, referred to as the National Transition Council, was holding its inaugural session within the capital Bamako on Saturday. it’s a key a part of the post-coup interim government apparatus in Mali.
Army officers within the conflict-ridden Sahel state toppled President Keita on August 18 after weeks of anti-government protests over the country’s armed rebellion, economic struggles and chronic interethnic violence.
Under the threat of international sanctions, the officers between September and October handed power to an interim government, which is supposed to rule for 18 months before holding elections.
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Figures with army links dominate the interim government, however, and anger over their prominent role is growing.
Coup leader Colonel Assimi Goita was elected interim vice chairman , for instance , and retired army colonel Bah Ndaw was also elected interim president.
Members of the defence and security forces have 22 seats within the transition council, consistent with a government decree, while political parties, civil society groups and trade unions even have seats.
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