Mali
Mali exhibits low-range performance in Representation, Rights and Rule of Law and high range performance in Participation. It performs among the world’s top 25% of countries with respect to Participation, Civic Engagement and Civil Society but among the world’s bottom 25% of countries with regard to multiple factors of Representation and Rule of Law as well as Basic Welfare and Electoral Participation. This dichotomy is borne out of a long history of civil society participation that stretches back to hunters’ associations; in recent years, civil society organizations have maintained an outsized role in Malian politics even as the country has suffered notable declines in several factors of Representation and Civil Liberties. These occurred as a result of the 2020 Malian coup d’état that installed a military junta in power. Mali is a low-income country, economically dependent on subsistence agriculture. It is one of the least developed countries in the world.
Mali’s history stretches back to the powerful Western African trading empire of the same name. At the time, it was among the wealthiest nations on Earth, and Timbuktu was a renowned center of Islamic learning. In the late 19th century, Mali became part of French West Africa, and in 1960 it gained its independence. While the country was initially a one-party state, by the early 1990s it had transitioned to multi-party democracy. Nevertheless, Malian political history has been marred by frequent coups and Tuareg and Arab groups’ sometimes make violent calls for autonomy. In 2012, a group proclaiming the independence of “Azawad” rebelled for the fourth time, triggering the ongoing war. That same year, the Malian army overthrew the civilian government in Bamako because of anger over its tepid response to the uprising. Issues of security have remained the primary drivers of Malian politics, as conflict with northern groups affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda has led to massacres and food insecurity. Continued instability and violence in rural areas led to two coups in August 2020 and May 2021.
Corruption is another enduring concern, as graft is endemic throughout state institutions and is itself a core driver of the ongoing security challenges. The strength and prevalence of patronage and clientelist networks have incentivized the parties to collude, rather than compete for votes.
Issues of identity also create enduring cleavages within the body politic. In general, there is a weak relationship between ethnicity and vote choice as a result of the practice of “cousinage,” an informal institution that creates ties of allegiance between members of various ethnic groups. However, the Tuareg of the North do not participate in this system of cousinage, and differing geography and tradition have coupled with economic underdevelopment in this region. The country also ranks close to the global bottom in the Gender Inequality Index, as women face significant inequalities in education, governance, and economic matters. An estimated 85 per cent of Malian women have also faced gender-based violence. Finally, LGBTQIA+ people face among the most discriminatory attitudes in the world.
Looking ahead, Representation will be an area to watch, following the junta’s failure to respect its commitment to transition the country to democratic rule in March 2024 and its indefinite suspension of political parties. Rights and the Rule of Law are other areas of concern, with the junta using increasingly coercive means to suppress dissent, including the use of arbitrary detention, judicial harassment and criminal prosecution against the media, religious leaders and civil society. The extremely volatile security situation should also be monitored, as developments in the ongoing war have the potential to impact Mali’s performance across all Global State of Democracy Indices indicators.
Last updated: June 2024
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
May 2025
Junta formally dissolves political parties, escalating democratic rollback
On 13 May, Mali’s junta formally dissolved all political parties and associations through a decree read on national television. The move comes two weeks after a government-organised national consultation recommended appointing transitional leader Gen. Assimi Goïta as president for a renewable five-year term and dismantling multiparty democracy. The consultation, boycotted by nearly all political parties, was denounced as a sham process aimed at consolidating military rule. On 30 April, the junta repealed the charter governing political parties, in what legal experts said was a precursor to their full dissolution. Delegates from the consultation also recommended suspending all election planning until the country is ‘pacified’, asserting that the current leaders need more time to govern. In the build-up to the national consultation, around 100 political parties formed a coalition to confront what they anticipated as the junta's intention to dissolve them. In a rare public statement on 26 April, the coalition accused the authorities of seeking to eliminate political pluralism.
Sources: Prime Minister's Office of Mali, International Crisis Group, British Broadcasting Corporation (1), British Broadcasting Corporation (2), Radio France Internationale, Barron's, Jeune Afrique, International IDEA
October 2024
New law criminalizing same-sex relationships is passed
On 31 October, Mali’s National Transitional Council passed a law criminalizing same-sex relationships, marking a significant change in the country’s legal framework. While same-sex conduct was not previously illegal, vague provisions in the penal code, such as Article 225 penalizing ‘public indecency,’ were often used to target LGBTQIA+ individuals. Justice Minister Mamadou Kassogué declared that its provisions ‘prohibit homosexuality in Mali’ and that ‘anyone who indulges in this practice or promotes or condones it, will be prosecuted’. The penalties for breaching the law remain unclear. In order to be final, the bill will have to be signed by Mali’s military leaders.
Sources: News Central, Barron’s, Human Rights Watch, X
September 2024
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger launch joint media platform
On 16 September, the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced the launch of a joint indigenous media platform following the suspension of French news outlets in the region. This initiative, a web-based television channel, is intended to provide state-controlled information and counter what the governments describe as biased foreign reporting. The media launch comes amid growing restrictions on press freedom in these countries, where military-led governments have expelled several international media organizations. The creation of this platform reflects a broader trend in the Sahel of increasing government control over information and an erosion of media independence.
Sources: France24, Anadolu Agency, International IDEA
Capital hit by rare deadly terrorist attack
On 17 September, the Al Qaeda-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) launched a coordinated terrorist assault in Bamako, the capital of Mali, killing at least 50 people and wounding over 200. JNIM targeted two critical sites: the national gendarmerie academy in Faladié and Modibo Keïta International Airport. This marked the first major attack on the city since the military coup in 2020.
Sources: The Africa Report, International Crisis Group, BBC, Le Monde, The Guardian
July 2024
Junta lifts three-month suspension on political parties and associations
On 10 July, Mali’s ruling military junta lifted a suspension on the activities of political parties and associations’ activities, which it had imposed three months earlier on 10 April. The junta had justified the suspension on public order grounds, but commentators suggested it was a punitive response to calls made by political parties and associations for a presidential election and a return to constitutional order. While the junta’s lifting of the suspension marks an important step towards restoring political pluralism in the country, rights groups remain concerned about broader patterns of repression, including the detention of 11 opposition politicians in June.
Sources: The Secretary-General of the Government of Mali, Reuters, Amnesty International, International IDEA, France24, Le Monde, ISS Africa
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