On March 26, 1991-March 26, 2023, the democratic era celebrates its 32nd anniversary in Mali. Occurring in 1991, after long clandestine, associative and political struggles, the advent of Malian democracy in Mali was not easy and experienced several hard blows. First, the incompleteness of the democratic process and several coups d’etat. Despite everything, 32 years are celebrated and each elected president has had to give the best of himself to the democratic ideal.
AND PRESIDENT ALPHA OUMAR KONARE
When President Alpha Oumar Konaré took power in June 1992, it must be recognized that Mali had no democratic culture. Power was directly attached to political and military power. It was all about the weight on the scale. The institutions were in name. Everything was managed by the president and his entourage.
After the National Conference endowed Mali with a democratic Constitution with 3 powers (executive, legislative and judicial) and a free press, with its 8 institutions, President Alpha Oumar’s first mission was to transpose these constitutional theories on paper into reality.
And in 10 years, he succeeded at 70%. Institutional bodies have been created, except the High Court of Justice. The 3 powers worked concurrently. The executive proposed laws, the National Assembly voted on them, and the government executed them. The judiciary was very independent from the dictatorship.
Since Alpha, the soldier, however highly ranked, could no longer imprison people as he pleased, as was the case under the dictatorship. The political authorities and all the powerful men became justiciable and the magistrate now held the key to the prison and everything went through a legal procedure.
The challenges of democratic institutions and bodies have been met by 70% in less than 10 years by President Alpha Oumar Konaré. Better, a political opposition existed, marches, meetings, associations against the power were allowed. The fundamental political freedoms of opinion, expression and thought were acquired. The dictatorship was a distant memory in less than 10 years. This was not the case in several African countries 30 years after Democracy.
PRESIDENT AMADOU TOUMANI TOURE SAYS ATT
Amadou Toumani Touré, ATT
In 2002, Mali made its greatest democratic test and faced the challenges in the eyes of the whole world. An outgoing president who does not force a 3rd term, Alpha Oumar Konaré, two potential opponents and candidates (IBK and Soumaïla Cissé), a president will be declared elected by the final results of the Constitutional Court, Amadou Toumani Touré known as ATT, is seeking his first mandate as an independent candidate in May 2002.
ATT does not continue the institutionalization of Malian democracy like its predecessor Alpha Oumar Konaré but does not hinder any achievements despite its status as a former soldier. Mali’s democratic exercise had become an example in the sub-region. Political animation was in full swing between the majority and the opposition. The political debates were open. The press was working and the president had submitted to an annual briefing and gave the news of the country.
A soldier of development even if not excellently of democracy, President ATT will lay big stones for development. Road infrastructure, agricultural investments, among others. In 9 years, before the march was stopped by the rebellion in the north of the country in 2012, President ATT was going to make Mali an El Dorado.
Unfortunately, the 2012 crisis will not spare the democratic institutions which have not seen enough construction. Like all countries that have devoted themselves to development while neglecting the strengthening of the democratic process, the end, the building is collapsing. Mali has not escaped this rule.
The military failure in the north against the rebels and jihadists will lead to the fall of the political regime and the institutions in March 2012. ATT was a soldier of development and had it not been for the 2012 rebellion, Mali would not be where, the democracy is taken for failure in a problem of defense and security.
THE PRESIDENT IBRAHIM BOUBACAR KEITA SAYS IBK
Certainly on the political level and the expectations of Malians at the time, President IBK could not live up to it, but with IBK, democracy has never reached such a high level in Mali as well as in Africa. . “Dura lex sed lex”, which means: “Law is hard but it’s the law”, was a sacred word for President IBK. We all know that one of the very respectful ideals of democracy is the principle of the separation of powers. Ensure that no power interferes in the affairs of another power. In this IBK won a world trophy.
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita
We all remember the famous trial between Karim Kéita, Mamadou Sacko dit Saxe and Dramé du Sphinx. In July 2019, Karim Kéita, no less president of the Defense and Security Commission of the National Assembly, the son of the president was the most feared and the most influential in Mali. Despite all this, Karim Kéita loses at trial against Saxe for a defamation case. This failure of the presidential family, of the son of the president who accuses a journalist of defamation against his own person. IBK and especially his family thus enhanced the democratic image of Mali.
Koureichy Cissé