There has been no word from President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita since Tuesday, when he dissolved parliament and then resigned after being detained at gunpoint.
Rebel soldiers on Tuesday launched a mutiny in a barracks on the outskirts of Bamako, detained Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse, and declared they had taken power.
Looking tired and wearing a surgical mask, Keita resigned in a brief address broadcast on state television after troops seized him along with Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and other top officials.
At least 14 protesters were killed earlier this month in demonstrations that have shaken the government since June and raised fears the instability could derail the fight against Islamist extremists in West Africa’s Sahel region.
The M5-RFP opposition coalition said the proposals did not “correspond to the expectations and aspirations of the people of Mali and violate the laws and constitution of Mali”.
According to the presidency's announcement, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse will keep his job and oversee a government including six ministries.
Mahmoud Dicko, a Saudi-trained preacher known for his Koranic erudition and social conservatism, is seen by admirers and detractors alike as the galvanizing force behind a protest movement now threatening the political survival of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
Ecowas sent a delegation to Mali last week to try to help end the political crisis in the landlocked west African country, with the protesters calling on President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to resign.
It follows reforms floated by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Wednesday evening meant to quell growing hostility to his government.
The first round on 29 March was disrupted by jihadist attacks and intimidation, including the kidnapping of opposition leader Soumaila Cisse.
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is running for a second term in office.
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who is seeking a second term despite jihadist attacks and inter-ethnic violence, won the first round last month with over 41% of the vote.
Keita won 41.4% of the vote in the mostly desert West African country, while rival Soumaila Cisse won 17.8%, the Ministry of Territorial Administration said on Thursday.
Keita’s allies say he is well ahead in the poll, which two dozen people contested, but have not ruled out the possibility of a run-off if he does not get the required 51 percent.
Cisse’s campaign manager, Tiebele Drame, made the announcement at the party’s headquarters in Bamako, the capital.
Eight million people were registered to vote. The candidates included businessmen, an astrophysicist, and just one woman.
Insecurity is such that in some parts of the country the vote will simply not happen.
Security analysts expressed surprise when Chad was named by the US last week alongside North Korea and Venezuela as part of an eight-country travel ban.
