Mali was scheduled to hold presidential elections April 29 but that looks highly unlikely following a tumultuous fortnight for the African country. First, a mutiny erupted March 21 that sent President Amadou Toumani Toure— and 21 years of democracy— into hiding. Tuareg rebels waging a decades-old battle in Mali’s north then took advantage of the ensuing chaos, capturing the three largest towns in the north in three days at the end of March. In the latest development Captain Amadou Sanogo, the junior officer who overthrew Mali’s democratically elected leader, said April 1 he is reintroducing the 1992 constitution as he seeks to stave off crippling economic sanctions by regional powers. But as TIME’s Julian Cavendish reports: “How this is compatible with his apparent intent to oversee the country’s transition back to democracy is unclear.”
Ballot Box Watch: Your Guide to April Elections
Global Spin previews this month's upcoming polls around the world
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