Mali's government has announced that much-anticipated presidential elections in the West African nation will take place on July 28.

"The council of ministers has adopted a draft law convening the electoral college on July 28, 2013 for the election of the president of the republic, on the whole national territory and diplomatic and consular representations outside of Mali," AFP reported.

"The campaign will open on Sunday, July 7 at midnight and close at midnight on July 26," according to the draft law.

The document also set the date for a runoff election, if required, on August 11.

The ballot would be the first since a coup in March 2012 ousted Mali's democratically elected president just months before he was due to step down at the end of his final term in office

Chaos broke out in the West African country after Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure was toppled in a military coup on March 22, 2012. The coup leaders said they mounted the coup in response to the government's inability to contain the Tuareg rebellion in the north of the country, which had been going on for two months.

However, in the wake of the coup d’état, the Tuareg rebels took control of the entire northern desert region, but the Ansar Dine extremists then pushed them aside and took control of the region, which is larger than France or Texas.