Gambiaj.com – (Bamako, Mali) – Mali’s military-led transitional government has adopted a controversial bill granting junta leader General Assimi Goïta a five-year renewable presidential mandate—without the need for elections. The decision, taken on Wednesday, June 11, is set to be submitted to the transitional parliament for formal validation.

Already serving as transitional president since seizing power in an August 2021 coup, Goïta is now poised to remain at the helm of the Malian state for at least another five years. Under the new bill, this term may be renewed indefinitely until what the government calls the “total pacification” of Mali and its allies in the Sahel—Burkina Faso and Niger—members of the recently formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

According to the transitional authorities, the move is intended to “complete the work started” since the military takeover nearly five years ago. However, critics have condemned the official reasoning as incoherent and self-contradictory.

While the government cites improved national security, successful counter-terrorism efforts, and a new constitution adopted through a 2023 referendum, it simultaneously claims that conditions are too unstable for democratic elections.

The bill echoes a broader narrative propagated by the junta that Mali and its allies are under persistent threat from “international destabilization“—a phrase widely interpreted as a veiled reference to France. Malian authorities have previously accused France of supporting armed terrorist groups, although they have failed to present credible evidence to back such claims.

This latest development solidifies Goïta’s grip on power and marks a critical turning point in Mali’s transition. Although the extension had already been signaled in April during closed-door “national consultations,” which the opposition dismissed as a sham, the formal legislative move confirms the direction of the regime.

Earlier this year, the junta dissolved all political parties in Mali, further tightening its control over public life. With that and the implementation of the new bill, Mali’s transition now appears to be transitioning into a de facto military dictatorship.

Public reaction has been sharply divided. Pro-regime supporters celebrated on social media, hailing the decision as a step toward building a “sovereign and dignified” Mali and defending it as necessary to protect the nation from “imperialist threats.”

In contrast, opposition figures and exiled journalists have sounded the alarm.

“Mali has just buried its republic with great fanfare,” wrote exiled journalist Malick Konaté. “The military regime is no longer hiding. It is now cloaked in the boubou of a new dictatorship.”

The transitional parliament’s vote on the bill is expected soon, though given the junta’s firm hold over institutions, its approval appears almost certain.