Mali political parties file court petition challenging ban

Political parties in Mali are taking legal action after the military government banned them from operating, according to a statement sent to AFP late on Wednesday.

The junta led by General Assimi Goita earlier this month announced the dissolution of all political parties and organisations, as well as a ban on meetings.

In a joint statement, the parties said they had "filed legal appeals to six high courts in the Bamako district as well as a parallel appeal to the administrative section of the Supreme Court."

The submissions aim to challenge the legality of the presidential decree enacting their dissolution but also its consequences.

Tougher rules for party creation

The parties maintain that the ban constitutes a serious infringement of the freedom of association, assembly and right to participate in public life.

About 300 political groups have been identified in Mali to date and the junta maintains that dissolution is a way of streamlining numbers.

It is the latest in a series of restrictions on freedoms taken by the military, which came to power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.

At the end of April, a national consultation organised by the junta recommended the dissolution of political parties and tougher rules for their creation.

New five-year term for military ruler

It also recommended making Goita president for a renewable five-year term, despite a pledge to hand back power to civilians by March last year.

On Monday, a number of Malian writers, lawyers and economists signed an opinion piece denouncing the junta's violation of "fundamental rights in the country."

They called on the military to "agree with all parts of Malian society on a new electoral calendar exclusively for the presidential election combined with legislative elections, within a short timeframe."

They also called for "all prisoners of conscience" to be freed.

Constitution guarantees freedom

Multipartyism, as well as freedom of expression and association, are guaranteed by the Malian constitution of 1992, which was reaffirmed by the junta in 2023.

Mali has been gripped since 2012 by violence from insurgent groups linked to Al-Qaeda, as well as local criminal gangs.