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/
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
June 2024
Assault on political opposition continues amid escalating crackdown on dissent
Mali’s military junta continued its targeting of political parties and leaders as eleven members of the main opposition coalition, known as March 31 Declaration’s Opposition Platform (Plateforme d'opposition de la Déclaration du 31 mars), were arrested on 20 June at a private meeting. One of those arrested, Mohamed Ali Bathily, a former minister and lawyer, was released the following day while 10 others were charged with conspiracy and public order offences. They were placed in pretrial detention, where they were expected to remain until trial, according to one human rights group. The arrests took place nearly two months after the transitional government’s suspension of political party activities, following the opposition platform’s call for a return to constitutional order and the organization of presidential elections. Following the arrests, the Malian National Human Rights Commission (La Commission Nationale des Droits de l’Homme, CNDH) responded by denouncing what it called “arbitrary arrests” and “violations of private homes”.
Sources: Jeune Afrique, Human Rights Watch, International IDEA, X, Reuters, Malian National Human Rights Commission, AP
May 2024
National dialogue recommends extension of junta rule
On 10 May, a national dialogue aimed at establishing peace in Mali delivered its conclusions in which, amongst other things, it recommended extending the military-led transition to democracy by two to five years. The transition had been due to end on 26 March 2024, almost three years after the coup that installed junta leader Colonel Assimi Goïta as the country’s transitional president. The dialogue also recommended that Goïta, be allowed to run for president at the end of the extended transition period, that rules governing political parties be tightened and that public funding for political parties be cut off. Goïta received the recommendations positively, instructing authorities to diligently implement the measures. Many political parties had boycotted the dialogue, which had involved consultations with a range of participants, and strongly rejected its recommendations. In April 2024, authorities had indefinitely suspended the activities of all political parties and associations.
Sources: Le Dialogue Inter-Maliens, Jeune Afrique (1), Jeune Afrique (2), Africa Confidential, Voice of America, International IDEA
April 2024
Mali indefinitely suspends political parties and associations
On 10 April, Mali’s transitional government announced that it was suspending the activities of all political parties and associations in the country ‘until further notice.’ The following day all media were directed by the state’s media regulator to halt their coverage of these organisations. The suspensions were justified with reference to an ongoing national peace dialogue, which the government spokesperson said needed to ‘take place in a climate of serenity not cacophony.’ Commentators have suggested that the suspensions were a response to a demand made on 31 March by more than 80 political parties and associations for a presidential election and a return to constitutional order ‘as soon as possible.’ A presidential election had been due to take place in February 2024 but was not held, meaning that the deadline for Mali’s transition to democratic rule (26 March) was not met.
Sources: Jeune Afrique (1), Jeune Afrique (2), Voice of America, Human Rights Watch, Radio France Internationale
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