Political challenges and security uncertainties on the eve of Mali's legislative elections

A briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzing the security and political risks surrounding Mali's legislative elections on 24 November 2013, highlighting terrorist threats, separatist tensions, and low female political representation.

• The legislative elections on 24 November 2013 are occurring amidst a precarious security environment characterized by ongoing terrorist activity in northern Mali. This includes attacks in Gao, Timbuktu, and Kidal in September 2013, and the kidnapping and murder of two French journalists in Kidal on 2 November 2013, which was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
• Implementation of the 18 June 2013 preliminary agreement signed in Ouagadougou has faced significant hurdles. The cantonment of armed groups in the north is not yet effective, and the Malian army's presence in Kidal is described as quasi ineffective, consisting of only one unit of approximately 200 personnel confined to a military camp.
• Tensions between the Malian government in Bamako and separatist armed groups remain high, with frequent clashes occurring since the preliminary agreement, including a confrontation in Menaka on 8 November 2013. While inclusive peace talks were expected in early November 2013, they had not yet officially begun as of the report date, though some confidence-building measures occurred, such as the release of prisoners by Bamako on 2 October 2013 and the MNLA returning public buildings on 14 November 2013.
• Separatist armed groups hold conflicting views on the legislative elections. Some argue that elections cannot occur without first defining the status of Kidal, while other officials from the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA) and the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) are running as candidates, despite public opposition to separatist candidates.
• There is a risk that the elections could reignite old tribal conflicts and leadership struggles within the Tuareg community and between other communities in northern Mali. This is partly attributed to 1990s constituency delimitations that grouped competing tribes into the same districts.
• Politically, the elections are a contest for parliamentary control between President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta's 'Mali First' coalition, which seeks a comfortable majority, and the opposition led by Soumaïla Cissé and the United Front for the Protection of Democracy and the Republic (FDR).
• Women's political participation remains low due to a lack of legislative measures to promote their access to electoral mandates. In the 2013 elections, women represented 13.1% of validated nominations (145 out of 1,107), a slight increase from 12.7% in 2007. In the previous parliament, women held only 15 of 147 seats.

APA

Dakono, B., & Ahanhanzo, M. G. (2013). Political challenges and security uncertainties on the eve of Mali's legislative elections. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/political-challenges-and-security-uncertainties-on-the-eve-of-malis-legislative-elections

Chicago

Dakono, Baba, and Maryse Glèlè Ahanhanzo. Political challenges and security uncertainties on the eve of Mali's legislative elections. Institute for Security Studies, 2013. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/political-challenges-and-security-uncertainties-on-the-eve-of-malis-legislative-elections.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dakono |first1=Baba |last2=Ahanhanzo |first2=Maryse Glèlè |title=Political challenges and security uncertainties on the eve of Mali's legislative elections |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=22 November 2013 |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/political-challenges-and-security-uncertainties-on-the-eve-of-malis-legislative-elections |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dakono2013political, author = {Dakono, Baba and Ahanhanzo, Maryse Glèlè}, title = {{Political challenges and security uncertainties on the eve of Mali's legislative elections}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2013}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/political-challenges-and-security-uncertainties-on-the-eve-of-malis-legislative-elections}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }