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Mali

Monthly Event Reports

July 2023 | New constitution ratified by referendum, giving new powers to president

The referendum on a new constitution that had originally been planned for March was held in July. The official results indicated that 97 per cent supported the ratification of the new constitution, with 38 per cent of registered voters participating. Turnout was hampered in some parts of the country by insecurity, and opposition parties claimed that the vote was irreparably marred by irregularities. The new constitution includes many of the fundamental rights that have become standard parts of constitutions across the continent in recent decades as well as some new protections against corruption and a new upper chamber. It also gives more prominence to local languages by demoting French. However, the constitution moves Mali from a semi-presidential to a presidential system, making the government responsible to the president rather than the legislature. The president will be limited to being re-elected only once. The first presidential election under this new constitution is scheduled for February 2024.

June 2023 | Opposition party dissolved after leader criticises Prime Minister

A court in Bamako ordered the dissolution of the Malian African Democratic Socialist Party (PSDA) in June. The government had initiated legal action against the PSDA after its leader, Ismaël Sacko sharply criticised Prime Minister Choguel Maïga during an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI) in October 2022. RFI had itself been suspended from broadcasting in Mali in March 2022. In response to the judgement, Sacko said that the party would appeal the decision and would continue to operate.

May 2023 | UN reports on March 2022 atrocities

On 12 May, the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights released the report of an investigation into a mass killing alleged to have taken place during a military operation against insurgents in Mali in March 2022. The UN investigation found that more than 500 people were killed in the course of a five-day military operation in the village of Moura in central Mali. Most of those who were killed were ‘summarily executed’. Witnesses reported that the perpetrators included both Malian military personnel and foreign mercenaries. The atrocities during these five days also included rape and torture. The Malian government continues to deny that its personnel have committed atrocities, and its own investigation is ongoing.

March 2023 | Referendum on new constitution indefinitely postponed

One of the key steps in the transition to civilian rule in Mali is the ratification of a new constitution. A referendum on a new constitution had been planned to take place on 19 March. However, the draft text was only delivered to the country’s de facto ruler, Colonel Assimi Goita, on 27 February, and a delay in the date of the referendum was not unexpected. Observers have noted that the current draft of the constitution will concentrate power in the hands of the president, and that there are indications that the current junta members are likely to seek that office when elections are held. This is a setback in the overall transitional plan, which is planned to culminate in elections scheduled for February 2024.

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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
20 855 720
System of government
Semi-Presidential system
Head of government
Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga (de facto) (since 2022)
Head of government party
Not applicable
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
Two-Round System
Women in lower or single chamber
26.5%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2020
Head of state
President Assimi Goïta (de facto)
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
16/01/2018
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
96.39%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
State Party
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
State Party
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
State Party
in
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Categories of Democratic Performance

Representation neutral Representation
Apr 2023
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Sep 2023
Representation neutral Rights
Apr 2023
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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
Apr 2023
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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