Editing Mali (section)

== Politics and government ==
{{main|Politics of Mali}}

=== Government ===
[[File:Assimi Goita, August 2021.png|thumb|[[Assimi Goita]], interim president of Mali since [[2021 Malian coup d'état]]]]

Until the military coup of 22 March 2012,<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120323134828/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9161659/US-condemns-Mali-coup-amid-reports-of-looting.html Video: US condemns Mali coup amid reports of looting]. Telegraph (22 March 2012). Retrieved 24 March 2013.</ref> Mali was a [[constitutional democracy]] governed by the Constitution of 12 January 1992, which was amended in 1999.<ref name=p14/> The constitution provides for a separation of powers among the executive, [[legislative]], and [[judicial]] branches of government.<ref name=p14>[[#Prof|Mali country profile]], p. 14.</ref> The system of government can be described as "[[semi-presidential]]".<ref name=p14/> Executive power is vested in a president, who is elected to a five-year term by [[universal suffrage]] and is limited to two terms.<ref name=p14/><ref>[[#Const|Constitution of Mali]], Art. 30.</ref>

The president serves as a [[chief of state]] and [[commander in chief]] of the armed forces.<ref name="p14" /><ref>[[#Const|Constitution of Mali]], Art. 29 & 46.</ref> A prime minister appointed by the president serves as head of government and in turn appoints the Council of Ministers.<ref name="p14" /><ref>[[#Const|Constitution of Mali]], Art. 38.</ref> The unicameral [[National Assembly (Mali)|National Assembly]] is Mali's sole legislative body, consisting of deputies elected to five-year terms.<ref name="p15">[[#Prof|Mali country profile]], p. 15.</ref><ref>[[#Const|Constitution of Mali]], Art. 59 & 61.</ref> Following the 2007 elections, the [[Alliance for Democracy and Progress (Mali)|Alliance for Democracy and Progress]] held 113 of 160 seats in the assembly.<ref>{{in lang|fr}} Koné, Denis. [http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200708131307.html Mali: "Résultats définitifs des Législatives"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121229150933/http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200708131307.html |date=29 December 2012 }}. ''[[Les Échos (Mali)|Les Echos]]'' ([[Bamako]]) (13 August 2007). Retrieved 24 June 2008.</ref> The assembly holds two regular sessions each year, during which it debates and votes on legislation that has been submitted by a member or by the government.<ref name=p15/><ref>[[#Const|Constitution of Mali]], Art. 65.</ref>

Mali's constitution provides for an independent judiciary,<ref name="p15" /><ref>[[#Const|Constitution of Mali]], Art. 81.</ref> but the executive continues to exercise influence over the judiciary by virtue of power to appoint judges and oversee both judicial functions and law enforcement.<ref name="p15" /> Mali's highest courts are the Supreme Court, which has both judicial and administrative powers, and a separate Constitutional Court that provides judicial review of legislative acts and serves as an election arbiter.<ref name="p15" /><ref>[[#Const|Constitution of Mali]], Art. 83–94.</ref> Various lower courts exist, though village chiefs and elders resolve most local disputes in rural areas.<ref name="p15" />

The transition government pushed back the timetable for a new election, initially to be held in February 2022, to February 2024.<ref name="New Election">{{cite web |title=Mali's transition govt sets February 2024 for presidential election |url=https://www.africanews.com/2022/07/01/malis-transition-govt-sets-february-2024-for-presidential-election// |website=AfricaNews |access-date=18 August 2023 |date=1 July 2022 |archive-date=18 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818190836/https://www.africanews.com/2022/07/01/malis-transition-govt-sets-february-2024-for-presidential-election// |url-status=live }}</ref> In exchange for the government's commitment to a 2024 election, [[Economic Community of West African States|ECOWAS]] agreed to lift sanctions on the country.<ref name="ECOWAS sanctions lifted">{{cite web |last1=Melly |first1=Paul |title=Mali coup: How junta got Ecowas economic sanctions lifted |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-62037317 |website=BBC |access-date=18 August 2023 |date=6 July 2022 |archive-date=5 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805123950/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-62037317 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Foreign relations ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Mali|France–Mali relations}}
[[File:Alliance of Sahel States.svg|thumb|upright|The [[Alliance of Sahel States]] between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. It is anti-French, anti-[[neocolonialism]] and anti-[[ECOWAS]], demonstrated with acts including the remotion of French as an official language in all three states in 2020s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MSN |url=https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/niger-downgrades-french-as-it-distances-from-its-colonial-past-with-a-new-official-language/ar-AA1Cub13?ocid=BingNewsVerp |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=www.msn.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Presse |first=AFP-Agence France |title=Mali Junta Renames Colonial French Street Names |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/mali-junta-renames-colonial-french-street-names-9bdfc394 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=www.barrons.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-06 |title=New wave of anti-colonial populism sweeps Francophone Africa&#xa0; |url=https://qz.com/africa/2173650/new-wave-of-anti-colonial-populism-sweeps-francophone-africa |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Quartz |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-07 |title=Breakaway junta confederation undermines ECOWAS summit |url=https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20240707-breakaway-junda-confederation-undermines-west-african-leaders-summit |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-08 |title=West Africa bloc warns of 'disintegration' as juntas form 'Confederation of Sahel States' |url=https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20240708-west-africa-bloc-juntas-confederation-sahel |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref>]]
[[File:Malick Diaw and Vyacheslav Volodin (2023-03-19).jpg|thumb|Representatives of Mali and [[Russia]] at the 2nd International Parliamentary Conference “Russia-Africa” in Moscow, 19 March 2023]]
Until 2012, Mali's foreign policy orientation had become increasingly pragmatic and pro-Western over time.<ref name=p17>[[#Prof|Mali country profile]], p. 17.</ref> Since the institution of a democratic form of government in 2002, Mali's relations with the West in general and [[Mali-United States relations|with the United States]] in particular have improved significantly.<ref name=p17/> Mali has a longstanding yet ambivalent relationship with France, a [[French Sudan|former colonial ruler]].<ref name=p17/> Mali was active in regional organizations such as the [[African Union]] until its suspension over the [[2012 Malian coup d'état]].<ref name="p17" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/2012323134643629717.html|title=ion suspends Mali over coup|date=23 March 2012|access-date=23 March 2012|publisher=Al Jazeera|archive-date=25 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325235036/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/2012323134643629717.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Working to control and resolve regional conflicts, such as in [[Ivory Coast]], [[Liberia]], and [[Sierra Leone]], is one of Mali's major foreign policy goals.<ref name="p17" /> Mali feels threatened by the potential for the spillover of conflicts in neighboring states, and relations with those neighbors are often uneasy.<ref name=p17/> General insecurity along borders in the north, including cross-border [[banditry]] and terrorism, remain troubling issues in regional relations.<ref name="p17" />

In early 2019, [[Al Qaeda]] claimed responsibility for an attack on a [[United Nations]] base in Mali that killed 10 peacekeepers from [[Chad]]. 25 people were reported to have been injured in the attack. Al Qaeda's stated reason for the attack was Chad's re-establishing diplomatic ties with Israel. The base was attacked in [[Anguelhok]], a village located in an especially unstable region of the country.<ref name=p17/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/20/world/africa/united-nations-peacekeepers-killed-mali.html |title=Al Qaeda Claims U.N. Peacekeeper Attack That Killed 10 in Mali |date=20 January 2019 |access-date=21 January 2019 |newspaper=NY Times |archive-date=21 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121175200/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/20/world/africa/united-nations-peacekeepers-killed-mali.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Military ===
{{Further|Military of Mali}}

[[Military of Mali|Mali's military forces]] consist of an army, which includes land forces and air force,<ref name=CIA-2021-Mali/> as well as the paramilitary Gendarmerie and Republican Guard, all of which are under the control of Mali's Ministry of Defense and Veterans, [[civilian control of the military|headed by a civilian]].

=== Regions and cercles ===
{{main|Regions of Mali|Cercles of Mali|Communes of Mali}}
[[File:Cartes des régions du Mali,depuis 2023.png|alt=A map of former regions of Mali|thumb|Regions of Mali since 2023]]
{{Regions of Mali Image Map}}
Since 2016, Mali has been divided into ten regions and the District of Bamako.<ref>{{cite book | last = Martin | first = Phillip L. | title = Managing Migration: The Promise of Cooperation | publisher=Lexington Books |date= 2006 | location = Lanham, Maryland | isbn = 978-0-7391-1341-7 |page=134}}</ref> Each region has a governor.<ref name=pictures>[[#DiPiazza|DiPiazza]], p. 37.</ref> The implementation of the two newest regions, Taoudénit (formerly part of Tombouctou Region) and Ménaka (formerly [[Ménaka Cercle]] in Gao Region), has been ongoing since January 2016;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://minusma.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/160328_sg_report_mali_english.pdf |title=Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Mali |date=28 March 2016 |publisher=[[MINUSMA]] |access-date=21 February 2017 |archive-date=22 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222055230/https://minusma.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/160328_sg_report_mali_english.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=malijet>{{cite web |url=http://malijet.com/la_societe_malienne_aujourdhui/144815-regionalisation-deux-nouvelles-regions-creees-au-mali.html |title=Régionalisation: Deux Nouvelles régions créées au Mali |date=21 January 2016 |publisher=Malijet |access-date=21 February 2017 |archive-date=22 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222105836/http://malijet.com/la_societe_malienne_aujourdhui/144815-regionalisation-deux-nouvelles-regions-creees-au-mali.html |url-status=live }}</ref> a governor and transitional council has been appointed for both regions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://minusma.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/sg_report_on_the_situation_in_mali_december_2016.pdf |title=Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Mali |date=30 December 2016 |publisher=MINUSMA |access-date=21 February 2017 |archive-date=29 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129153531/http://minusma.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/sg_report_on_the_situation_in_mali_december_2016.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> 

Since 2023, Mali has added nine new regions to its administrative structure, bringing the total to 19 regions plus the district of Bamako. This reorganization aims to improve governance and bring public services closer to local populations. This initiative continues the decentralization efforts that began with the creation of the Taoudénit and Ménaka regions in 2016. The nineteen regions in turn are subdivided into 159 [[Cercle (Mali)|''cercle''s]] and [[Cercle (Mali)|815]] [[Communes of Mali|''communes'']].<ref>{{cite web |date=1999 |title=Loi N°99-035/ Du 10 Aout 1999 Portant Creation des Collectivites Territoriales de Cercles et de Regions |url=http://www.matcl.gov.ml/PDF/LoiCreationCercleReg.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309073942/http://www.matcl.gov.ml/PDF/LoiCreationCercleReg.pdf |archive-date=9 March 2012 |publisher=Ministère de l'Administration Territoriales et des Collectivités Locales, République du Mali |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Djiguiba |first=Issa |date=21 September 2024 |title=Administrative and territorial division: the new administrative map of Mali is operational |url=https://www.ortm.ml/decoupage-administratif-et-territorial-la-nouvelle-carte-administrative-du-mali-operationnelle |access-date=6 November 2024 |website=www.ortm.ml}}</ref>

The [[Regions of Mali|''régions'']] and Capital District are:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coulibaly |first=Bassidi |date=October 2013 |title=Etats Generaux De La Decentralisation (in French) |url=https://arpdeveloppement.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/A_14_Theme_9_DGAT.pdf |access-date=6 November 2024 |website=arpdeveloppement.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2023 |title=CINQUIEME RECENSEMENT GENERAL DE LA POPULATION ET DE L'HABITAT (in French) |url=https://www.instat-mali.org/laravel-filemanager/files/shares/rgph/rapport-resultats-globaux-rgph5_rgph.pdf |access-date=6 November 2024 |website=www.instat-mali.org}}</ref>
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!No
! Region name || Area (km<sup>2</sup>) 
!Population<br />Census 2023
|-
|00
| [[Bamako Capital District|Bamako<br />Capital District]]|| align="right" |252
|4,227,569
|-
|01
| [[Kayes Region|Kayes]]|| align="right" |62,914
|1,840,329
|-
|02
| [[Koulikoro Region|Koulikoro]]|| align="right" |71,178
|2,255,157
|-
|03
| [[Sikasso Region|Sikasso]]|| align="right" |21,378
|1,533,123
|-
|04
| [[Ségou Region|Ségou]]|| align="right" |31,996
|2,455,263
|-
|05
| [[Mopti Region|Mopti]]|| align="right" |49,077
|935,579
|-
|06
| [[Tombouctou Region|Tombouctou]]|| align="right" |180,781
|974,278
|-
|07
| [[Gao Region|Gao]]|| align="right" |89,532
|727,517
|-
|08
| [[Kidal Region|Kidal]]|| align="right" |151,430
|83,192
|-
|09
| [[Taoudénit Region|Taoudénit]] || align="right" | 323,326 
|100,358
|-
|10
| [[Ménaka Region|Ménaka]] || align="right" | 81,040 
|318,876
|-
|11
|Bougouni
| align="right" | 41,052
|1,570,979
|-
|12
|Dioila
| align="right" | 12,984
|675,965
|-
|13
|Nioro
| align="right" | 24,179
|678,061
|-
|14
|Koutiala
| align="right" |14,739 
|1,169,882
|-
|15
|Kita
| align="right" |44,175
|681,671
|-
|16
|Nara
| align="right" |26,213 
|307,777
|-
|17
|Bandiagara
| align="right" |25,709
|868,916
|-
|18
|San
| align="right" |15,516
|820,807
|-
|19
|Douentza
| align="right" |63,515
|170,189
|-
| colspan="2" |Total
| align="right" |1,240,192
|22,395,489
|}