Mali: Election budget reallocated to security and defense
Mali, August 2025 – The Malian government has decided to cancel funds initially allocated for the organization of elections, redirecting them instead to finance defense and security operations. The measure follows recent institutional reforms that extend the mandate of the transitional president, Assimi Goïta.
Adopted during the Council of Ministers meeting on August 6, 2025, the revised finance bill officially reallocated the resources. However, it was only on August 22, through a statement by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Alousséni Sanou, that the decision was clearly explained.
The initial budget of 80.75 billion CFA francs earmarked for elections has been scrapped. A portion was redirected to the Ministry of Defense, whose allocation now rises from 485.058 to 554.091 billion CFA francs, an increase of 43.354 billion CFA francs. Meanwhile, the budget of the Independent Election Management Authority (AIGE) was reduced by 819 million, dropping from 6.093 to 5.274 billion CFA francs.
Following this revision, the state’s overall budget for 2025 is estimated at 2,730.697 billion CFA francs, with the projected deficit reduced to 540.189 billion CFA francs.
This decision aligns with the recommendations of the National Refoundation Conference (ANR), held between 2021 and 2022, which called for institutional reforms to precede any electoral process.
In April 2025, after political parties failed to propose a new charter, the authorities consulted the population through regional and national dialogues. These discussions led to key recommendations: the dissolution of political parties, granting the transitional leader the status of President of the Republic, and a renewable five-year mandate for Assimi Goïta until the country achieves stability.
Validated by the National Transitional Council, this orientation effectively cancels any short- or medium-term electoral projects.
