Eric Patrick
Mali’s military-appointed transitional parliament has approved a controversial measure granting junta leader General Assimi Goita a five-year presidential term renewable indefinitely and without an electoral mandate.
The decision, passed Thursday by the 147-member National Transitional Council (NTC), effectively allows Goita to remain in power until at least 2030, cementing military control over the West African nation despite earlier promises to restore civilian rule.
The bill, already adopted by the Council of Ministers last month, now awaits formal ratification by Goita himself.
Goita first seized power in a 2020 coup and consolidated control after a second coup in 2021.
At the time, he pledged a transition to civilian governance and a national commitment to combat jihadist violence.
However, the military-led government later abandoned its vow to hold elections by the promised March 2024 deadline.
“This is a major step forward in the rebuilding of Mali,” Malick Diaw, president of the NTC, told reporters after the vote.
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The move follows recommendations from a national assembly convened by the junta earlier this year, which proposed granting Goita the presidency without an election and dissolving all political parties—a recommendation that was swiftly implemented in May with an outright ban on party activities.
Critics have described the recent measures as a further erosion of democratic freedoms in Mali, where civic space continues to shrink under the military’s tightening grip.
Calls from civil society for a return to democratic norms have been largely ignored by the transitional authorities.
Since 2012, Mali has faced a worsening security crisis fueled by jihadist insurgencies linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Attacks by extremist and criminal groups have escalated in recent months, adding pressure on the junta, which continues to rally national support under the banner of stability and sovereignty.