Mali+Politics

Politics in Mali Mali had often been cited as a democratic model until soldiers overthrew the elected government of President Amadou Toumani Toure in March 2012.
 * =History = || =Geography= || =Culture= || =Economics= || =Politics= || =Class Activities= || =Resources = ||
 * Type:** Republic
 * Independence:** September 22, 1960
 * Constitution:** Approved January 12, 1992
 * Branches:**
 * Executive--president (chief of state and commander in chief of the armed forces), prime minister (head of government).
 * Legislative--National Assembly is the sole legislative arm of the government, consisting of 147 members.
 * Judicial--Supreme Court with both judicial and administrative powers.
 * Political parties:** Mali is a multiparty democracy. Sixteen political parties are represented in the National Assembly.
 * Suffrage:** Universal at 18


 * The political situation in Mali is currently in turmoil. A president and prime minister as of May 5th are included on this page but the situation is changing every day. To read more click on History in the table above! In a matter of weeks Mali has gone from being a democratic state to a partitioned and fractured territory.**

live largely in the Sahara Desert, spanning Niger, Mali, Algeria and Libya
 * President overthrown:** Amadou Toumani Toure
 * Interim President & head of Parliament:** Dioncounda Traore
 * Appointed Interim Prime Minister:** Cheick Modibo Diarra
 * Head of Junta:** Amadou Haya Sanogo
 * ECOWAS** = Economic Community of West African States
 * MNLA** = National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
 * The Tuareg** = a nomadic people who



**Government**
In Mali the democratization of state institutions started in 1991-1993 under the transition period with the organization of a national assembly during which a new constitution was drafted and was formally adopted via popular referendum in 1992, and the organization of free and democratic elections. The constitution follows the French model and sanctions the separation of the executive, legislative, and judicial powers. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a coup that ushered in democratic government. President Alpha Konare won Mali's first democratic presidential election in 1992. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, Konare stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou Toure.

**Social Problems and Control**
Information is scarce on crime in Mali. However, crime is considered to be low compared to other countries in the region. The crime situation in Mali's northern regions is more complex. Due to this area's intermittent political instability, some tourists have occasionally experienced banditry and carjackings. The Gendarmerie and local police forces are in charge of internal security. The Malian judiciary system is complicated by the coexistence of traditional, Islamic, judiciary traditions.

**Military Activity**
Military expenditures total approximately 5.5 percent of the national budget. Beside a dispute over the boundaries with Burkina Faso, which led to five days' fighting and was quickly resolved by dividing up the disputed land between the two countries, Mali has not been involved in foreign conflicts. The army has been a major player in domestic politics, for instance via the organization of coups d'état and the participation of military officials in various governments. Military forces were extensively deployed in the North to control the Tuareg rebellion and are now active in the political turmoil.

Social Welfare and Change Programs
Mali, at least on paper, provides an extensive welfare system. Workers are entitled to retirement benefits, health care, sick leave, maternity leave, and other forms of compensation. The actual reality of the welfare program is often significantly limited by the state's resources, and many aspects of the social welfare system would affect only wage workers, who constitute a minority of the overall Malian worker population. The Malian government, with the backing of the World Bank and the IMF, is planning to increase spending in health and education. Most Malians work in the so-called informal sector and rely on alternative welfare strategies, such as the development of reliable social networks among family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

Gender Roles and Statuses
In many Malian farming communities both women and men are actively involved in agricultural activities. Among the Bamana, women, in addition to taking care of many household chores, work most of their lives in the collective fields of their husband's extended family. Women are also very active in trade activities. Women sell mainly food items, both raw and processed, and a few manufactured goods, while men engage more often in the sale of manufactured goods. Women's access to market participation tends to be limited to less lucrative economic activities, or at least less so if compared to the business in which men engage. In the cities women continue to take care of most of the household chores as well as to be actively involved in petty trade. Rural girls prior to their marriage are often employed as maids in the cities in order to accumulate goods for the constitution of their own dowry. After the coup of 1991, an impressive number of women's associations were created. In a political reshuffling that took place on 21 February 2000, women's representation achieved a historical high when, out of twenty-one newly appointed ministers, seven were women.

Resources http://www.northafricaunited.com/Mali-An-Analysis-of-the-Current-Situation_a1277.html