Bamako: Mali’s ruling junta announced on Wednesday that it is re-allowing the activities of political parties and political associations, which it suspended in April.
“The government has decided to lift the suspension that has hindered the activities of political parties and political associations,” said a statement from the council of ministers, which is dominated by military leaders who took power after a 2020 coup.
The head of the military government, Colonel Assimi Goita, justified the suspension by “sterile discussions” and “subversion” of political parties, which he said posed a danger to the ongoing national “dialogue” on Mali’s political future.
At the time, the parties protested the colonels’ decision to remain in power beyond the March 2024 deadline to return to civilian rule.
The main parties and what was left of the opposition boycotted the “dialogue”, which continued anyway with regime supporters issuing a “recommendation” in May that the military remain in power “for the next two to five years” and that the current junta chief be allowed to run in any future presidential election.
