SHARECountry Data
Mali (Republic of Mali) has a Unicameral parliament with the use of voluntary party quotas and legislated quotas for the single/lower house and at the sub-national level. 42 of 147 (29%) seats in the Assemblée Nationale / National Assembly are held by women.
At a glance
Structure of Parliament: Unicameral
Are there legislated quotas...
- For the Single/Lower House? Yes
- For the Sub-National Level? Yes
Are there voluntary quotas...
- Adopted by political parties? Yes
Is there additional information?...
- No
Last updated: Jan 19, 2023
Single/Lower House
Assemblée Nationale / National Assembly
| Total seats | 147 |
| Total Women | 42 |
| % Women | 29% |
| 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 | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | In accordance with Act No. 2015-052 dated 18 December 2015, an electoral list submitted by a political party, group of political parties, or group of independent candidates with at least three persons on it may not comprise more than 70 per cent of either men or women. The June 2022 Electoral Act further stipulates that a list of candidates submitted by political parties/groups or independent candidates is not to be accepted when it includes more than 70 per cent of men or women (Article 2, Loi n° 2015-052/ du 18 décembre 2015). |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | No data available | |
| Rank order/placement rules | No data available | |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | Yes | 10% of public funding is proportionately shared among political parties which have women elected as deputies or municipal counselors. 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
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | The lists of candidates for local elections must respect the alternation of the sexes in the following way: if two candidates of the same sex are registered, the third must be of the other sex (Article 3, Loi n° 2015-052/ du 18 décembre 2015). |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | ||
| Rank order/placement rules | No data available |
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
- Loi n° 2015-052/ du 18 décembre 2015 (French version, instituting measures to promote gender equality in access to nominated and elected positions)
- Loi électorale n° 2018-014 du 23 Avril 2018 portant Loi Électorale (French version, amendments up to 2018)
- Loi N.2022-019 du 24 Juin 2022 Portant Loi Électorale (French version, amendments up to 2022)
- Constitution of Mali (English version)
OTHER SOURCES
- Rapport de la Mission d’Observation de L’Union Africaine : Mali, 2013
- 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.