In Mali, text of draft constitution is submitted to junta leader

The draft of a new constitution handed to Mali’s military ruler bolsters the powers of the future president and rules out extensive autonomy for the country’s north. [...] The draft rules out the idea of a federation, according to Fousseyni Samaké, head of the committee drafting the document [...]. The text of the “preliminary draft constitution,” which is not yet published, is supposed to be submitted to a referendum in March 2023. Malian authorities, dominated by the military which seized power in August 2020, cite a revised constitution as crucial for the “renewal” of the state. They announced the commission in June after extending military rule until 2024. The military has pledged under pressure to hold elections in February 2024 and to hand over power in March of the same year. [...] Under the new draft, which comprises 195 articles instead of 122, “it’s the president of the republic who determines the policy of the nation, and it’s the government which enacts the policy,” Fousseyni Samake said in an interview [...]. In addition, “Parliament or the (National) Assembly will no longer be able to overturn the government, and conversely, the president will no longer be able to dissolve the National Assembly,” he said. The draft sets up a second chamber of parliament, which corresponds to a senate elsewhere, besides the National Assembly.
Read the full article here: Al Arabiya News