Mali: the new electoral law adopted after being largely amended

The president of the Malian National Transitional Council, Malick Diaw (C), with the other members of the CNT in Bamako in February 2022. © FLORENT VERGNES/AFP

Text by: David Baché

3 mins

In Mali, the new electoral law was adopted this Friday afternoon.

By a very large majority, but with many modifications made to the initial text, which the government had proposed.

The new electoral law is supposed to improve the organization of future elections: more transparency, more independence, more legitimacy and less possible contestation.

And all this thanks in particular to a new single electoral management body. 

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Its creation is the flagship measure of the new electoral law: the Independent Election Management Authority (Aige).

It will be responsible in particular for the technical preparation of the polls, the development of the electoral register, the management of the public financing of the parties, the control of campaign expenses, the production of voters' cards, the centralization of votes and of the announcement of the results.

The proclamation, a sensitive task until now, was devolved to the Ministry of Territorial Administration.

Aige will be made up of a deliberative college, an executive office and a general secretariat, whose members will be appointed or selected according to procedures intended to guarantee their independence and probity.

It will also have coordination in all the local authorities of the country (regions, circles, municipalities, etc.).

In a general and expected way, the new electoral law sets the rules for being a candidate, for being an elector, the rules to be respected during the campaign period or even the procedures for voting operations.

Among the notable innovations: the establishment, for the legislative elections, of a proportional voting system, which replaces the current majority voting system, with the aim of improving the representativeness of the deputies.

Many amendments under the background of differences between government and CNT

But the adoption of the text was not a formality.

The members of the CNT made 92 proposals for amendment, on many subjects, including the composition of the members of the Independent Election Management Authority.

The CNT wanted to limit the Prime Minister's responsibility in the procedure for appointing its members, in which the President of the Republic, political parties and civil society are also involved.

Proposals in which the Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister, in charge of Political and Institutional Reforms, Fatoumata Sékou Dicko, explained "

", underlining points of agreement, but also many differences.

Indignant reaction of Souleymane Dé, president of the Commission of the laws of the CNT, which vigorously defended these amendments and recalled that they respected the legal procedure.

He also demanded that they be taken into account by the government.

The session was suspended for an hour, after which the members of the CNT questioned, even manhandled, the Minister, who recalled that, even independent, Aige remained a State service, and that the government had to ensure that the law respects the government's " 

 ", without denying the " 

 " of the CNT.

The vote finally took place and the text, with all the proposed amendments, was adopted with 115 votes for, 3 against, no abstentions.

The transitional president, Colonel Assimi Goïta, must now promulgate it.

►Also read: Mali: contrasting reactions to the duration of the transition extended by two years

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