Election losses may imperil Malian president's agenda

Subject

Mali election results.

Significance

In two rounds on March 29 and April 19, Mali held legislative elections for the first time since 2013. Official results show that President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s Rally for Mali (RPM) party won the largest number of seats in the 147-member parliament, with 51 deputies, down from 70, amid low turnout. Protests erupted in some cities against the final results, while authorities faced substantial criticism for moving ahead with elections even as COVID-19 cases swelled, and after the kidnapping of opposition leader Soumaila Cisse shortly before the elections.

Impacts

• The results of the legislative elections do not inherently disrupt Keïta’s wider plans.
• The crystallisation of a broadly popular opposition party appears more remote than ever.
• The role of the elite in Kidal and Menaka as intermediaries in talks between the presidency and northern ex-rebel blocs is strengthened.