Bamako [Mali], June 19: Malians were voting on Sunday in a referendum on changing the constitution that the military rulers and regional powers have said will pave the way to elections and a return to civilian rule.
The military government, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, promised to hold the plebiscite as part of a transition to democracy under pressure from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Voting began at 08:00 GMT and results are expected within 72 hours. Presidential elections are scheduled for February 2024.
Voter turnout was expected to be low in the country of 21 million due to armed conflict.
Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque said that although around 8 million Malians are eligible to vote, "many of them will not be able to cast their ballots because there are large swathes of land in the north in the centre of the country that are in the hands of armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIL [ISIS]".
Reporting from the capital Bamako, Haque said that in the northern city of Kidal, there is no vote taking place, and in Timbuktu, armed groups have threatened to attack polling stations.
However, he added that in Bamoko, there is "an element of defiance" and a palpable sense that "Malians really want to get their voices heard and really want to push forward in this referendum and this change in the constitution."
Some of the changes in the committee-drafted constitution are contentious, with proponents saying they would strengthen fragile political institutions and opponents saying they would give excessive power to the president.
But regional bodies and the United Nations see the referendum as a crucial test of the military's willingness to stick to the transition and hold a nationwide democratic process, particularly when violent religious groups are stepping up attacks.
Source: Qatar Tribune