Mali junta chief: Convention will pick new leader

Mali's coup leader states that a national convention will be set up to choose a transitional president until elections can be held

The officer who overthrew Mali's democratically elected leader in a recent coup said Monday the country will organize a national convention to choose who will run the nation until new elections can be held.
Capt. Amadou Sanogo convened reporters Monday at the military barracks on the outskirts of the capital, which have acted as the de facto seat of government since the March 21 coup. Just days short of a May 22 deadline, he announced plans for the convention, which he said will include all segments of society and will be led by the country's current interim president, who is a civilian.
Weeks after the March coup, Sanogo agreed under intense international pressure to restore the constitution he had dissolved and to hand power to a civilian leader. The constitution spells out that in the event the head of state is unable to complete his term, the leader of the national assembly will lead a 40-day period of transition before new elections are held.
All sides agreed that 40 days is too little time to organize new elections, especially since Mali is also battling a rebellion in the north. But questions remain about what kind of interim structure will be put in place to run the country until the poll is organized, and how long it will rule.
Last week, negotiators from the Economic Community of West African States, the body representing the nations bordering Mali, failed to come to an agreement with the junta on who should take over the presidency. ECOWAS wants the interim president to stay on to lead the entire transition.
Although Sanogo officially handed power last month to the civilian-led transitional government, he is still actively involved in running the country. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland issued a stinging rebuke last week, describing Sanogo's role as "interference."
"The United States is deeply concerned about the deteriorating political situation in Mali," Nuland said. "We call on the junta leader Sanogo to step aside and allow for the return of full civilian rule. The (junta's) continued interference in the government has undermined democracy in Mali ... We hold the (junta) directly responsible for the increasing suffering of the Malian people. The military needs to stand aside completely."
Once a model of democratic stability, Mali's political order was upended after March's mutiny at the Kati military barracks. The mutineers led by Sanogo initially only wanted to express their grievances, but after easily taking over the presidential palace, they realized there was no one standing in the way of a power grab.
Democratically elected leader President Amadou Toumani Toure was forced into hiding. He re-emerged to hand in his resignation in April, before going into exile in neighboring Senegal.