Bamako, 18 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) — The ruling junta in crisis-hit Mali was holding a constitutional referendum on Sunday that is supposed to pave the way for democratic elections.

More than two years after the most recent military coup in the West African country, the junta says the vote starts a transition process to civilian rule, with parliamentary elections due to be held in October and then a presidential election in February.

But Sunday's referendum, which asks Malians to vote Yes or No on a new constitution, was delayed by three months and it remains to be seen whether the junta will keep to the timeline it has laid out.

Under the proposed constitution, which is to replace a text from 1992, the role of the president and the army would be significantly strengthened at the expense of parliament. The army would be entrusted with the "execution of the law" while the president gains power over the prime minister and Cabinet.

Critics point to passages that could amount to an amnesty for the most recent military coups and human rights violations.

Colonel Assimi Goïta, the 2021 coup leader who declared himself interim president, has not yet said whether he will run for the presidency.

Various opposition parties and associations have spoken out against the new constitution, but Mali watchers expect supporters to win on Sunday, not least because freedom of expression and of the press is restricted.

Mobile phone users recently received text messages every day that advertised a Yes vote.

Eligible citizens can vote between 8 am (0800 GMT) and 4 pm on Sunday. The winning side was expected to become clear on Monday or Tuesday.

Mali, which has seen three military coups since 2012, is plagued by ever-present security concerns with the situation particularly bad in northern and central parts of the country. Militants who have pledged allegiance to the terrorist groups Islamic State or al-Qaeda control swathes of territory there.

To the frustration of Western powers, the junta maintains close contacts with Russia and has hired fighters from the Wagner mercenary group to help beat back the militants. In response, France, the former colonial power, terminated its counterterrorism operation in Mali and withdrew its forces last year.

The UN says it has documented extreme rights abuses against civilians - including summary executions, rape and torture - in Malian military operations that target Islamist extremists.

On Friday, Mali demanded the immediate withdrawal of the UN stabilization mission MINUSMA, which has around 12,000 peacekeepers and has been active since 2013.

Mali's top diplomat, Abdoulaye Diop, told the UN Security Council that MINUSMA had failed and that the peacekeepers must go.