Mali’s Constitutional Court has declared itself without jurisdiction to consider a request for the impeachment of Transitional President General Assimi Goita.
The court’s ruling, dated June 18, 2025, was officially published in the Official Journal on June 23.
The impeachment request was brought by Malian citizen Saïdou, also known as Cheickna Diallo, who accused President Goïta of “high treason,” alleging that the head of state violated his presidential oath. Diallo sought the initiation of impeachment proceedings as outlined in Article 73 of the Constitution of July 22, 2023. This article stipulates that a president can be removed from office by a three-quarters majority vote of Parliament meeting in Congress.
However, the Constitutional Court noted a critical institutional void: Mali currently lacks an elected Parliament. Since the dissolution of the National Assembly in 2020, legislative authority has been exercised by the National Transitional Council (NTC), a body established by the military authorities. The Court determined that the NTC does not constitutionally possess the authority to initiate impeachment proceedings.
This rejection is consistent with Mali’s unique institutional context during its transitional period. In May 2021, following the ousting of President Bah N’Daw, the Constitutional Court had similarly validated General Goïta’s assumption of power, citing the absence of an institutional alternative.
The June 18, 2025, ruling once again highlights the constraints on democratic oversight within a transitional framework that operates without fully elected institutions. Consequently, in the absence of a constitutionally compliant parliament, no impeachment proceedings can currently be initiated against the President of the Transition.
MD/te/Sf/fss/abj/APA