Mali’s ruling military government has taken a bold step to solidify its hold on power, with the Council of Ministers approving a new bill that would extend the leadership of junta head Gen. Assimi Goita by five more years starting in 2025.
The bill, passed on Wednesday, lays the groundwork for a major revision of Mali’s Transition Charter.
This revision allows Goita to retain the presidency for a renewable five-year term, reinforcing the military’s dominance over a nation that has struggled with democratic setbacks and escalating insecurity.
This latest development follows a controversial decision in May that saw Mali’s military authorities dissolve all political parties, citing the need to preserve national unity.
That move, widely condemned by pro-democracy advocates, came amid rising tensions in the capital, Bamako, where several civil society figures were reportedly kidnapped after participating in anti-government protests.
The new bill stems from a national dialogue process held in April, orchestrated solely by the military regime. The consultations were boycotted by the very political groups that had already been sidelined and later banned.
Yet, the regime has used the outcome of that one-sided process to justify extending its mandate and reshaping the transition timeline.
For many Malians, this signals a shift further away from the civilian-led democracy they were promised. Following two coups in 2020 and 2021, the junta had initially pledged to hand power back to civilians by March 2024.
However, that commitment has quietly faded, and no new date for a presidential election has been announced.
The legislative body currently overseeing the transitional period, the National Transitional Council, must still approve the bill before it takes effect. With the political opposition effectively neutralized, the outcome appears all but certain.
