The Prime Minister of Mali, Choguel Maïga, has summoned the country’s political parties to a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday, March 18th, in the afternoon. Politically diminished since his removal from the presidency of the strategic committee of the June 5th Movement (M5), which played an active role in the ousting of former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in August 2020, Maïga is attempting to regain control.
The invitation is labeled as a “meeting for exchanges with Malian political parties.” Among other messages, the head of government will urge Malian politicians to support the transition and his administration’s actions.
Will the room be sparsely populated? Will the parties be represented in large numbers this time? Some have already made their stance clear. One party stated, “We refuse to respond to an invitation from a divisive figure who has only served to divide politicians.”
Ousted from the M5, the movement that propelled him to the prime ministership, Choguel Maïga finds himself politically weakened today. His fellow activists within the M5, such as Mountaga Tall, have turned their backs on him. Additionally, his political party, the Patriotic Movement for Renewal (MPR), is not among the heavyweight players in the local political scene. He is attempting to rally a faction of the political class at a time when some are once again calling for his resignation.
However, for now, the master of political fate remains the head of the junta, Colonel Assimi Goïta.