Hundreds protest in Mali against junta’s attempt to extend power
FILE - Leader of Mali's ruling junta Lt. Col. Assimi Goita, center, attends an independence day military parade in Bamako, Mali on Sept. 22, 2022. (AP Photo, File)
Hundreds of protestors gathered outside the Palais de Culture in Mali’s capital, Bamako, on May 3rd and 4th in the first pro-democracy rally since the military regime came to power via coup in 2020. The demonstrators protested a new bill to dissolve political parties in the West African nation, according to AP.
The new decree followed a national political conference on April 30th, where More than 400 delegates voted in favor of a draft law that would dissolve the 2005 Political Parties Charter, amounting to a further rollback on political freedoms.
The conference recommended naming the current interim president and junta leader, General Assimi Goïta, as president until 2030, without democratic elections. This would be equivalent to a five-year extension of his term.
This sparked outrage, with the organizers of the rally sharply condemning “any attempt to limit, suspend or dissolve political parties, which is a direct attack on the constitution and the sovereignty of the Malian people.”
While the protests remained peaceful, police made the activists leave the scene. Authorities cited the risk of confrontation with supporters of the military government, as pro-military youths had taken over the venue hours earlier to prevent the rally.
The following day, on May 5th, civil society figures and political party leaders held a press conference to call for “a rapid and credible return to constitutional order through the organization of transparent, inclusive and peaceful elections,” organizer Cheick Oumar Doumbia said.
Historically, the regime and its President, Gen. Assimi Goïta, have enjoyed strong popular support. Survey data from the pan-African research network, Afrobarometer, and the Mali-Métre survey, run by Germany’s Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung since 2012, indicated high satisfaction with the junta rule. In the 2024 Mali Mèter, nine out of ten respondents considered the country moving in the right direction.
Yet economic conditions are worsening in Mali, as the junta finds it increasingly difficult to administer the changes they campaigned on. Amid sluggish growth, high inflation, and extreme poverty, political analysts have raised concerns that such demonstrations signal a “real risk” if political parties are not reassured by the authorities.
AP/Maghrebi.org
Want to chase the pulse of North Africa?
Enter your email address and name to receive our weekly newsletter.
