Bamako — Mali’s Territorial Administration and Decentralisation Minister Moussa Sinko Coulibaly has ruled out plans to postpone the July 28 presidential elections, saying all technical and material requirements have been met.
The minister made the declaration before the country's technical and financial partners and the Malian stakeholders involved in the organisation of the elections.
He was reporting on the ongoing preparation for the elections and the situation of the displaced persons as well as the refugees.
An observer of the Malian politics said, "The declaration will help end all the doubts over the possibility of postponing the elections."
"We are materially and technically ready," Coulibaly said, adding that his ministry, which is in charge of the organisation of elections, has "never doubted the possibility of holding elections on July 28, a date which the administration itself had set."
"There's no reason to change the July 28 date," he reaffirmed, noting that "any change should be done by the government and not any other institution since other institutions are only supporting the process."
He said such institutions supporting the electoral process include the General Elections Delegation (DGE) and the National Independent Election Commission (CENI) which are involved in the organisation of the elections.
Only the security issue can be an obstacle to holding the elections across the entire national territory, but with the signing of the preliminary agreement on June 18 between the government and Tuareg rebels, there will be no obstacle in that regard, he reiterated.
He revealed that more than 4 000 Malian refugees had been registered as voters in Niger and 3 500 in Burkina Faso. The registration of Malian refugees in Mauritania is going on, he said.
"These refugees will participate in the July 28 presidential elections," the territorial administration and decentralisation minister said.
Mali is expected to end the political crisis since March 2012, when rebels took advantage of a military coup to sweep through the northern region. With the backing of Mali's former colonial ruler France and other African countries, the Malian army fought back in early January and restored control of most of the northern part.
With an agreement signed recently between the government and Tuareg rebels, the northern town of Kidal, the last controlled by rebels, will be regained by Bamako, which is optimistic about holding the polls on schedule despite reports about a possible delay.
Xinhua
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