Mali's military rulers formally dissolve political parties
Mali's military government announced on Tuesday that it had dissolved all political parties, approving a recommendation publicised last month that spurred unprecedented protests in the capital, Bamako.
A statement read on state television said the decision had been validated by military leader Assimi Goita, who seized power in the West African country after coups in 2020 and 2021. Last month a national conference of political actors in Mali recommended naming Goita as president with a five-year mandate as well as dissolving the parties.
In protests in Bamako on May 3 and May 4, several hundred critics carried placards displaying messages calling for multi-party elections and chanted slogans such as: "Down with dictatorship, long live democracy."
The junta originally committed to holding elections in February 2022.
Ahead of another planned protest on May 9, Mali suspended political activities across the country, forcing the opposition parties to call off their gathering.
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