Over one hundred political parties in Mali have voiced their strong opposition to the government’s newly announced national consultations on the Charter of Political Parties, deeming the initiative contrary to the resolutions established by the National Refoundation Conference (ANR).
On the eve of the official launch of these consultations, scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, 2025, these parties convened at the Bamako Press Center on Tuesday, April 15th, to collectively denounce what they perceive as an inappropriate, inconsistent, and contradictory approach by the government, undermining the spirit of the ANR resolutions.
The dissenting parties highlighted that the government itself had initiated a consultation process with political parties in December 2024, inviting them to submit proposals for the revision of Law No. 05-047 on the Charter of Political Parties. This initial consultation led to a consensus document reflecting the ANR guidelines, which focused on reducing the number of political parties, ending political nomadism (defections), and formally recognizing the role of the opposition leader.
The signatory parties argued that these proposals were the logical outcome of a properly conducted consultation, emphasizing that the ANR resolutions had been endorsed by the State and integrated into the Strategic Framework for the Rebuilding of the State. They view the government’s decision to launch a broader consultation process, involving the nation’s vital forces and Malians abroad, as an implicit challenge to the legitimacy of the work already completed by the political parties.
The parties raised three key questions: why initiate a new consultation when political parties had already been consulted? Why revisit issues resolved during the ANR with the nation’s vital forces? And what is the legitimacy of this new process given the prior ANR resolutions, which were recognized as priorities within the Transition’s institutional framework?
Furthermore, the parties expressed concerns that this maneuver could potentially lead to the marginalization or even suspension of political party activities, drawing parallels to recent events in Burkina Faso and Niger, also under military transition regimes. They emphasized that Mali, unlike those two countries, has a действующая Constitution adopted in July 2023, which explicitly guarantees a multiparty system and the freedom of action for political parties within legal boundaries.
In their joint declaration, the political parties reaffirmed their commitment to upholding constitutional principles, particularly Articles 39 and 185 of the new Constitution, which enshrine the role of political parties and protect democratic pluralism against any revision attempts. They called on the Prime Minister to engage in sincere dialogue with political party representatives and to suspend the national consultations scheduled for April 16th, which they described as delayed, costly, and unjustified.
The parties reiterated that their stance is not confrontational but aims to safeguard democratic achievements, institutional stability, and national unity. They stressed that respecting the law, the sovereign resolutions of the National Authorities (ANRs), and the principle of consultation are essential for the success of the Transition and the support of all stakeholders in the national reconstruction efforts.
MD/ac/Sf/fss/abj/APA