BAKAMO — Mali's Constitutional Court named Col. Assimi Goita as transitional president, noting that Col. Goita would lead the transition process to its conclusion.

The court said that it had made the decision due to the vacancy in the presidency following the resignation of the caretaker president Bah Ndaw, local media reported late Friday.

Last week, president Bah Ndaw and prime minister Moctar Ouane were detained by soldiers along with other leaders of the transitional government, hours after naming a new Cabinet that did not include two key leaders.

In a decree published late Friday evening, Mali's Constitutional Court said that given the vacancy of Mali's transitional presidency after the resignation of Bah Ndaw, the transitional vice president should exercise the functions of transitional president to lead the transition process to its end.

According to Mali's Constitution, in the event of the vacancy of the presidency of the republic for any reason, the functions of the president should be exercised by the president of the National Assembly.

But given the current vacancy is the post of transitional president and the government is dissolved, the Constitutional Court said, in accordance with the Transition Charter, the transitional vice president would be declared transitional president of Mali.

In the decree, a part of Bah Ndaw's resignation letter was quoted as saying, "I would like, at this precise moment, while thanking the Malian people for their support over the past few months, the warmth of their affection, to tell you my decision to leave my functions, all my functions from this moment, and with all the legal consequences."

Col. Goita, who was leader of the already dissolved National Committee for the Salvation of the People that overthrew then president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last year, criticized Bah Ndaw for having "accepted the resignation of the government and immediately reappointed the prime minister" in a "unilateral manner."

He also expressed his discontent toward Ndaw for not having consulted him on the choice of ministers in charge of defense and security. Under pressure of the international community, the military finally released N'Daw and Ouane on May 27 after they resigned. — Agencies