Given the very tense security situation in much of North and Central Mali presented the preparation and holding of presidential elections in 2018 a very significant challenge. At the two rounds of voting in July and August 2018 conducted election were 24 candidates registered (among them several former prime minister and only one woman). In the run-up to the election, there were serious clashes in Bamako in June 2018 between the police and supporters of the opposition who demonstrated for the opposition to have equal access to state television and radio during the election campaign. In contrast to the first ballot, which was overshadowed by violence and irregularities, the second ballot could be carried out largely peacefully and orderly. In it, the incumbent Ibrahim Boubacar Keita prevailed with 67.2% of the vote against his challenger Soumaila Cissé, who received only 32.8%. Cissé had already not recognized the result of the first round of voting, and even after his defeat in the runoff election he held on to his massive fraud allegations against the presidential camp. EU election observers criticized the procedural aspects of the conduct of the election Irregularities. According to the state election commission, voter turnout in the first ballot was 42.7%, whereas the non-state election observation organization POCIM determined only 37%.
The parliamentary elections originally planned for the end of 2018 were postponed several times and took place in March / April 2020. The election, which was carried out in two rounds, was overshadowed by acts of violence in the country’s conflict zones and the spread of the respiratory disease COVID-19. The most important issues in the election campaign were the security and socio-economic situation. 1,400 candidates ran for the election. In the election (36% turnout), the RPM became the strongest party (51 seats). However, she had to accept considerable losses and is one of the losers in the election. The second strongest party was ADEMA-PASJ with 24 seats, which could achieve slight profits. The URD, the third strongest party (19 seats), was able to gain slightly.
Sas set up a community office in Ras el Mâ as part of the reconstruction
On the part of the opposition parties and civil society groups, massive election fraud in favor of the governing parties was criticized. In addition, they criticized the way in which the responsible state institution dealt with cases of the controversial election results. Since May 2020, there have been regular demonstrations during which the tense economic situation was also criticized. At the beginning of June 2020 they led to the establishment of the Mouvement du 5 juin – Rassemblement des forces patriotiques (M5-RFP). It is a broad alliance of political, civil society and Islamic groups, which among other things called for the resignation of President Keita. The influential Islamic clergyman Mahmoud Dicko played in the alliancea temporarily leading role seen by many observers as a hardliner. With international mediation, the government started talks with representatives of the alliance in order to jointly find a solution to the severe domestic political crisis that had arisen. One possible option was to form a consensus-based government of national unity, but this was rejected by the M5-RFP.
Important political decisions
According to transporthint, Mali is a country located in Western Africa. In addition to the long-term solution of the conflicts in northern and central Mali, the fight against poverty, the promotion of economic development and the consolidation of the democratic system and the decentralization process were of central importance in the government policy of the government in office until August 2020.
The Malian government was clear at an early stage that the new municipalities would have a considerable need for advice and external financing, at least in the first few years, in order to be able to function and to be able to build at least some of the facilities and infrastructures they had planned. For this reason, a set of funding instruments has been set up with the aim of promoting municipal investments. In most cases, however, it still seems to be a long and arduous road to the long-term goal of financially independent communities. The PACT offers a good overview of the diverse field of work in promoting local development.
During the course of his term in office, President Touré filled increasingly important government and administrative positions with the military. In this context, some critics spoke of a “militarization” of government and administrative structures. Government members’ exaggerated privileges were also criticized.
