News:
December 17, 2021
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc has warned to impose sanctions if by January 2022 the Malian junta did not move to hold polls.
The Community parliament as part of its parliamentary diplomacy in the coming days is making moves to ensure the Military junta meets the deadline or provides an alternative.
First Rapporteur of Parliament’s Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Mahama Ayariga in an interview with Ghanamps.com noted that usually when there are military coups, parliaments stand dissolved, “we are usually the victims”.
The Executive would transition from democratically elected to military Executives, the Judiciary continues to function, ECOWAS has given the Junta a deadline; they themselves have not given a time table and parliament is going there as part of parliamentary diplomacy to engage with the military junta to see.
“If we can convince them to try and meet the requirement of the ECOWAS Commission, they cannot fail to meet the requirement of ECOWAS and also fail to provide an alternative proposal”.
Mr. Ayariga further noted that something has to give; they either have to provide an alternative programme that ECOWAS can consider or meet the ECOWAS deadline; and as one of the major political institution, they cannot stay out of efforts to promote democracy, promote the rule of law and promote parliamentary democracy in the West African sub-region.
“We have interest in this contest to be pushing for a programme by the military to ensure that election takes place so that parliament can exist in Mali”, he stated.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com