Mali: Opposition Rejects Proposals To Solve Political Crisis

The Malian opposition under the umbrella of the M5-RFP (Rally of Patriotic Forces) or June 5 Movement rejected for the third time on Thursday a compromise aimed at solving the country's political crisis, which has lasted for weeks.

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This followed the meeting held by heads of state of the Economic Community of the West African States or ECOWAS, who proposed on Monday that the 31 members of parliament whose elections were contested step down and those by-elections be held.

It also called for the creation of a government of national unity that would include members of M5-RFP and said there should be an inquiry on the deaths earlier this month.

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita responded with a cabinet reshuffle late on Monday, naming six ministers to core positions, aiming to start negotiations to form a unity government.

So far, the 31 MPs have refused to resign. At the same time, the M5-RFP said in a statement that the conclusions of the ECOWAS Summit do not take into account the depth and gravity of the sociopolitical crisis that has Mali's future hanging in the balance.

It also stresses that the bloc's proposal does not meet the expectations and aspirations of the Malian people in any form, and violate the laws and constitution of the country.

The spark for Mali's political current crisis was a decision by the Constitutional Court in April to overturn the results of parliamentary polls for 31 seats, in a move that saw candidates with president Keita's party get re-elected.

In early June, thousands of people answered opposition calls for protests over contested local elections, perceived government corruption, and incompetence. The protests turned violent when three days of clashes between security forces and protesters left several people dead.

The June 5 Movement insists President Keita should resign and has said it would restart the protests on August 3 if their demands are not met.