Gender Quotas Database
Mali
Western Africa
Single / Lower House
Assemblée Nationale / National Assembly
| Total seats | 137 |
| Total women | 42 |
| Percentage of women | 31% |
| Gender Quota target | 30% |
| Election year | 2020 |
| Electoral system | TRS |
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
… Lists of candidates presented by political parties, groups of political parties or independent candidates are inadmissible when they contain more than 70% women or men. … (Article 78, 168, 181, 207 - Electoral Law) On the occasion of the election of deputies to the National Assembly, members of the High Council of Communities or Councillors of Territorial Communities, no list of at least three (03) people, presented by political party, group of parties political or grouping of independent candidates, is only admissible if it presents more than 70% women or men. (Article 2 - Parity Law) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
... Lists of candidates presented by political parties, groups of political parties or independent candidates are inadmissible when they contain more than 70% women or men. … (Articles 78, 168, 181, 207 - Election Law) |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | Yes |
The annual amount of credits allocated to the financing of political parties is divided into four fractions: - a fourth fraction equal to 10% of the credits is intended to finance political parties in proportion to the number of women elected at the rate of 5% for deputies and 5% for municipal councilors. (Article 29 - Political Parties Law) See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Reserved seats |
| Gender Quota target | 30% |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Electoral law |
... Lists of candidates presented by political parties, groups of political parties or independent candidates are inadmissible when they contain more than 70% women or men. … (Article 78, 168, 181, 207 - Electoral Law) On the occasion of the election of deputies to the National Assembly, members of the High Council of Communities or Councillors of Territorial Communities, no list of at least three (03) people, presented by political party, group of parties political or grouping of independent candidates, is only admissible if it presents more than 70% women or men. (Article 2 - Parity Law) |
| Political funding legislation |
The annual amount of credits allocated to the financing of political parties is divided into four fractions: - a fourth fraction equal to 10% of the credits is intended to finance political parties in proportion to the number of women elected at the rate of 5% for deputies and 5% for municipal councillors. (Article 29 - Political Parties Law) |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
... Lists of candidates presented by political parties, groups of political parties or independent candidates are inadmissible when they contain more than 70% women or men. … (Articles 78, 168, 181, 207 - Election Law) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Yes |
The lists of candidates for local elections must respect gender alternation as follows: If two candidates of the same sex are registered, the third must be of the opposite sex. (Article 3 - Parity Law) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance for Democracy in Mali | Alliance pour la Démocratie au Mali/Parti Africain pour la Solidarité et la Justice (ADEMA - PASJ) |
ADEMA - PASJ has a 30 percent quota. (Gerapetritis, G. 2015. Affirmative Action Policies and Judicial Review Worldwide, page189) |
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
According to the African Union observation mission to Mali in 2013 for the legislative elections, they observed a substantial representation of women among election workers and in political delegations. They also noted that great numbers of women voted on the day of the election. Despite these positive observations, they noted that this was not the case for female political candidates, where only 156 out of 1141 valid candidates were women (African Union 2013).
In 2015, the National Assembly adopted a gender quota bill, requiring that at least 30 per cent of elected/appointed officials be women. The results from the 2013 elections, where only 14 women were elected/appointed out of the total 147 seats, has been described as a wake up call for Malians that sparked the activism and advocacy leading up to Parliaments passing of the gender quota bill with overwhelming majority (NDI 2017). The electoral law, last amended in 2016 contains legal provisions stating that no more than 70 % of candidates in the candidates list submitted for national elections may be women or men (see box above).
It is important to point that the Elections were planned to be hold in June 2019. However, there were not any elections and the Law No. 2019-23/AN-RM adopted by the National Assembly extended the elections to 2nd May 2020.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES
- Constitution of Mali - Link
- Election Law 019/2022 - Link
- Political Parties Law 05-047/2005 - Link
- Parity Law 052/2015 - Link
OTHER SOURCES
- Parliament of Mali - Link
- Electoral Commission - Link
- National Democratic Institute, 2017, Mali Adopts Law Promoting Gender Equity
- Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Parline Mali
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Mali on iKNOW Politics
- Peace Research Institute Oslo [PRIO]. (2019). Women's participation in peace and reconciliation processes in Mali. Perspectives from Segou, Mopti, and Tombuctou.
- National Democratic Institute [NDI]. (2014). Identifying Barriers and Opportunities: Malian Women Share Their Views on Their Social, Civil and Political Roles.
- Trans-Saharan Elections Project [TSEP]. (2014). Mali: Gender quotas and representation.University of Florida.
- UNDP. (2012). Mali case study: Gender equality and women's empowerment in public administration.
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