Leader of Mali’s junta signs election law letting him run

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s junta leader has signed a new law paving the way for elections and a return of the country to constitutional rule. Col. Assimi Goita has been president of the transitional government since seizing power in a coup two years ago. The law signed on Friday would also allow him and other military members of the transitional government to run in 2024, when the next presidential election is scheduled, according to a copy of the new legislation seen by The Associated Press. West Africa’s regional bloc, the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), imposed stiff sanctions on Mali earlier this year after military rulers refused to hold elections in February as planned.