Until the military coup of March 22, 2012[1][2] and a second military coup in December 2012[3] the politics of Mali took place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Mali is head of state with a Presidentially appointed Prime Minister as the head of government, and of a multi-party system.
In August 2018, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was re-elected for a new five-year term after winning the second round of the election against Soumaïla Cissé.
On 25 September 2020, retired colonel and former defence minister Bah Ndaw was sworn in as Mali's interim president.
[7] On 7 June 2021, Mali's military commander Assimi Goita was sworn into office as the new interim president.
[8] On 30 December 2021, the transitional administration announced plans to delay the election by six months to five years in part because of security issues,[9] leading to political opposition and sanctions.
Mali's constitution provides for a multi-party democracy, with the only restriction being a prohibition against parties based on ethnic, religious, regional, or gender lines.
In the second round, out of 5,951,838 registered voters, 2,221,283 cast a vote - with 2,122,449 being valid - totalling a 37.32% turnout, according to the Constitutional Court[12] Mali's legal system is based on codes inherited at independence from France.
The Ministry of Justice appoints judges and supervises both law enforcement and judicial functions.
Administratively, Mali is divided into ten regions (Gao, Ménaka, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mopti, Ségou, Sikasso, Tombouctou, Taoudénit) and the capital district of Bamako, each under the authority of an elected governor.