MALI’S constitutional court has announced its decision to abstain from reviewing a case challenging the military junta’s suspension of political party activities in the country. The court also deemed another request, seeking measures to address Mali’s legal and institutional void, as inadmissible. These rulings were disclosed in a document obtained by AFP on Saturday.
According to the court’s document dated Thursday, the West African nation, plagued by successive coups in 2020 and 2021, faces deepening security challenges from militant and separatist groups.
The decree issued by junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita earlier this month imposed restrictions on political parties and media coverage, purportedly to maintain public order. This move followed the junta’s failure to fulfil its commitment to transition power to a civilian government by March 26, despite pressure from the regional bloc ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) to hold presidential elections in February.
In response to legal challenges against the presidential decree, the constitutional court asserted that such matters fell within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
Regarding concerns over a constitutional void, the court clarified that it had not been formally approached by key institutions—the prime minister and parliament speaker—to address this issue.
Since toppling President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020, Mali’s junta in Bamako has pursued a significant shift in foreign policy, distancing itself from France and fostering closer military and political ties with Russia.
The court’s decision underscores the ongoing political turmoil and legal ambiguities facing Mali amid its junta-led governance.
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