The government of Mali has decided to postpone local and regional elections originally scheduled for April because of security issues. Opposition parties have supported the delay. This is the second time the elections have been pushed back.
A government official said that insecurity in the north of the country has held up the revision of voter rolls. “The postponement of communal and regional elections is confirmed. There’s no precision of the date, but it will be October 25 at the latest,” AlhoussenyToure, a spokesman for the Ministry of Territorial Administration said, according to a BBC report.
Al-Qaeda splinters and separatist groups are still launching sporadic attacks in the north of the country despite a French-led intervention two years ago, allowing for the presidential elections in 2013 to proceed.