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Mali’s military leader Assimi Goita has been handed a renewable five-year presidential term—without elections—by the transitional parliament, cementing his grip on power until at least 2030. The move, approved unanimously, has been framed by officials as a step toward national stability, but critics see it as a deepening of authoritarian rule. The development means that Goita, who seized power through two coups in 2020 and 2021, has walked back his earlier promise to return to civilian rule by 2024. The charter also contains no reference to political parties, raising alarms about shrinking civic space. Earlier, in May, the Malian junta had dissolved all of the country’s political parties and organizations, likely paving the way for this move.

Aljazeera