Mali’s Junta Entrenches Power: Goïta Named President for Renewable 5-Year Term, Political Parties Dissolved
Mali’s military-led transitional government has named General Assimi Goïta as the President of the Republic for a renewable five-year term, potentially extending his rule to 15 years.
The announcement, made public on April 29, 2025, follows recommendations from a national conference and comes with a raft of new political restrictions, including the outright dissolution of all existing political parties.
The junta’s decision signals a dramatic shift toward centralized rule, as political activities across the West African nation are now subject to stringent financial and administrative controls.
The new directives require a 100,000,000 CFA franc (about $160,000 USD) deposit to form a new political party—an amount critics say will severely limit participation and further suppress opposition voices.
All electoral processes have also been suspended until national peace is restored.
In the interim, an independent audit of the electoral register will be conducted, and all political demonstrations must receive prior approval. Authorities now hold the power to suspend any political organization deemed to disturb public order.
Additional changes include a 250,000,000 CFA franc (approximately $400,000 USD) deposit for presidential candidates and the adoption of a single-round voting system. The reforms also mandate quotas for youth and women in political representation and ban so-called “unnatural alliances,” a term left undefined, raising concerns about its potential use to block coalitions.
According to the junta, these decisions stem from the “assises des forces vives de la nation,” a national forum of key stakeholders.
Supporters claim the reforms are necessary to bring stability amid ongoing jihadist insurgencies and governance failures. However, international observers and pro-democracy advocates warn of significant democratic backsliding in a country already under military control since coups in 2020 and 2021.
General Goïta, who first seized power in August 2020 and reaffirmed his grip in May 2021, now presides over a political landscape stripped of pluralism.
The new regulations, critics argue, institutionalize authoritarian rule under the guise of national unity and security.
