Mali’s transitional military leader, General Assimi Goita, has officially signed a new law granting himself a five-year presidential term—renewable indefinitely and without the need for elections. The controversial law, signed on Tuesday and enacted Thursday, entrenches Goita’s rule until at least 2030, overturning the junta’s earlier commitment to return the country to civilian governance by March 2024. The new presidential mandate stems from recommendations made during a national dialogue held in April, which was organized by the military regime but boycotted by most opposition parties and civil society groups. The military-appointed transitional legislature approved the bill last week.
The move has sparked widespread criticism from pro-democracy advocates, especially after Goita dissolved all political parties by decree in May 2025. That decision came amid a wave of kidnappings targeting opposition voices in the capital, Bamako, and followed a large public demonstration by hundreds demanding a return to civilian rule. The law is seen as part of a broader clampdown on civil liberties in the country. Since seizing power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, Goita’s junta has sidelined democratic institutions while promising to tackle the decade-long jihadist insurgency plaguing the Sahel region.
Despite those promises, Mali has seen deteriorating security, limited press freedom, and increased repression of dissent. Critics warn that this latest law further distances Mali from democratic norms and risks deepening instability in the already volatile West African nation.
