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Mali’s military leader, General Assimi Goïta, has secured backing from key political allies to remain in power for another five years, extending his presidency until 2030.
The 41-year-old came to power through two successive coups in 2020 and 2021. Following the latter, he was appointed as transitional president and pledged to organise elections within a year. However, that promise has not been fulfilled, casting a shadow over Mali’s prospects for a return to multi-party democracy.
A national consultation forum, convened by the ruling junta but shunned by major opposition parties, has now proposed that General Goïta should continue as president for a further five years. While he has yet to publicly respond to the recommendation, the conference is widely regarded as a move to legitimise his continued rule.
Opposition voices have criticised the development, with prominent figure Mohamed Salia Touré telling AFP over the weekend that dismantling the multi-party system would be a “historic error”.
A document seen by AFP revealed that the conference also recommended postponing all electoral processes until peace is fully restored in the country. Mali has been grappling with persistent violence, with militant groups affiliated with ISIS and al-Qaeda continuing to destabilise vast regions.
Since assuming power, Goïta has drawn Mali closer to Russia and distanced it from its former colonial power, France. He has also aligned with the military rulers of neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, creating a regional bloc of junta-led states that have all withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), following tensions over demands to restore civilian rule.
Goïta first seized power in August 2020, ousting then-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta after mass protests over his governance and failure to contain the jihadist insurgency. Although he initially handed power to a civilian-led transitional administration tasked with overseeing elections within 18 months, he staged a second coup in May 2021, citing dissatisfaction with the interim government’s performance.
At the time of the first coup, Goïta held the rank of colonel. He has since been promoted to five-star general, solidifying his grip on the state’s military and political structures.
