BAMAKO, Mali - The head of Mali's parliament, who was forced into exile after last month's coup, is due to return Saturday to this nation in crisis in the first step marking Mali's return to constitutional rule, his chief of staff said.
The 70-year-old Dioncounda Traore is currently in neighbouring Burkina Faso, where he exiled himself after disgruntled soldiers stormed the presidential palace in Mali, ousting the nation's democratically elected leader and overturning two decades of democracy. His chief of staff, Issa Togo, said that Traore is due to land in Bamako at 16:30 GMT.
Under intense pressure from the nations neighbouring Mali, the junior officer who seized power 17 days ago agreed to return the nation to civilian rule, signing an accord late Friday in the presence of ministers from Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
The accord says junta leader Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo will immediately put into effect Article 36 of the Malian constitution, which says that in the event that the president of the republic is unable to carry out his functions, the head of the assembly becomes interim president for a transitional period until new elections are held.
The coup two weeks ago began as a mutiny at the Kati military base, located around 6 miles from the presidential palace. The soldiers led by Sanogo then took to the highway, and marched to the seat of government, sending President Amadou Toumani Toure into hiding.
A dozen of Toure's closest aides were arrested and are still being detained, including the minister of foreign affairs and the minister of the interior. Traore was able to avoid arrest because he had travelled to Burkina Faso in the days before the coup, said Amadou Wague, spokesman for the assembly.
The return of the head of the assembly marks a major turnaround for Mali, which was considered one of the region's only mature democracies before the March 21 coup. However, it's still unclear how quickly Traore will assume power, and how quickly elections will be held in order to finalize the return to civilian rule.
Article 36 of the constitution states that in the event of a vacancy of power, the head of the assembly becomes interim president for 21 to 40 days. However, the accord read out late Friday by Sanogo outside the military base that has served as the de facto seat of government since the coup indicated that this timeframe will likely need to be extended.
Besides the coup, Mali is battling a rebellion in the north. On Friday, the rebels that seized control of the northern half of the nation declared their independence, further complicating the crisis.
