Mali (BN24) – Mali’s transitional parliament has awarded military leader Gen. Assimi Goïta a renewable five-year presidential term, a decision that cements his grip on power nearly four years after he first seized control in a coup.
The sweeping measure, adopted Thursday by 131 members of the National Transitional Council, extends Goïta’s mandate until at least 2030 and allows him to renew it “as many times as necessary” until authorities declare Mali “pacified.” The bill also permits Goïta, members of his government, and transitional legislators to stand in future presidential and general elections.
Goïta, 41, first toppled elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in August 2020 after mass protests against corruption and the government’s failure to contain jihadist violence. Though he briefly handed over authority to an interim civilian-led government, he staged a second coup in May 2021 to reclaim power, pledging a swift return to democracy the following year—a promise that never materialized.
At the vote in Bamako, National Transitional Council President Malick Diaw hailed the legislation as “a major step forward in the rebuilding of Mali,” insisting it reflected the will of the people. But the move has triggered concern among Malian civil society groups and regional observers, who warn it could entrench military rule and stifle dissent.
In recent months, the junta has intensified a crackdown on political opposition, banning all parties in May and sidelining critics. Many fear further repression as Goïta consolidates authority.
Since taking power, Goïta has severed Mali’s military ties with former colonial power France, instead aligning with Russia and forming a regional bloc with fellow coup-led governments in Burkina Faso and Niger. All three nations have withdrawn from the West African regional organization ECOWAS, which has pressured Bamako to restore democratic rule.
Despite the junta’s promises of security improvements, Mali continues to face escalating violence from jihadist groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda. This week, militants launched simultaneous attacks on military positions across several towns in the latest wave of assaults against the army.
Goïta’s extended mandate underscores how Mali’s military rulers have consolidated power in defiance of regional and international calls for elections, prolonging a political transition that began with the overthrow of an elected government but has since become an open-ended military-led regime.
