Mali’s national conference, bringing together political and civil society leaders, has put forward sweeping recommendations to reshape the country's political structure after the current transitional period ends. The proposals were reported by the Malian news outlet Malijet.
Under the proposed changes, current interim president General Assimi Goïta would remain in power starting in 2025 with a five-year mandate and the possibility of re-election — mirroring the model adopted by other members of the Sahel States Alliance (AES), a regional bloc. Delegates argued that the current leadership should be granted ample time to stabilize the country and implement administrative reforms before returning to electoral politics. As part of this transition, all elections are to be suspended indefinitely.
Among the most radical suggestions was the dissolution of all existing political parties. Delegates also called for a full audit of the voter registry. Any parties seeking to re-register in the future would need to be led by individuals between the ages of 25 and 75, and must establish a clear regional presence.
The conference was chaired by Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga. Its final recommendations are now awaiting approval by interim President Goïta.
Mali has experienced two military coups since 2020. The first, in August 2020, ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. A transitional government was formed under Ba N’Daou, but he too was deposed in May 2021 by the same military group. Mali’s Constitutional Court then appointed Colonel Goïta as head of state for the transitional period.
Originally, democratic elections were scheduled for February 2024. However, those plans have since been indefinitely postponed.
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Photo: Torsten Schreiber/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS