Francophone Africa in Flux: Mali's Decade of Democracy

Abstract

����� �� Although social science has established that there is a positive relationship between democracy and economic development, democracy can prosper in the absence of wealth. Mali, one of the world’s poorest countries, has remained democratic since its first multiparty elections in 1992. Although Mali’s freedom from the conflict and oppression that bedevil many of its neighbors may seem remarkable, its democratic progress has found firm support in recent economic growth, social structures conducive to equality, a unique political culture, a favorable international environment, and effective political leadership. While poverty and institutional weakness still pose real threats to Mali’s political future, visionary leadership, targeted international support, and ongoing vigilance on the part of Malians can reinforce its progress toward transparent, responsive, and accountable government. Mali’s early years gave little sign of its democratic potential. Following independence from France in 1960, Mali was ruled by a civilian government with strong socialist leanings. In 1968, a military coup brought to power Moussa Traore, a young lieutenant whose corrupt leadership undermined his initial popularity and quickly eroded the military’s reformist reputation. After decades of military rule, prodemocracy agitation surged in early 1991. Students, labor unions, human rights organizations, members of the media, and other civil society groups united in opposition to Traore’s regime. These disparate groups coalesced around a common agenda for reform that included, in addition to a host of particularistic demands, an end to the singleparty state dominated by the Mali People’s Democratic Union (UDPM); Zeric Kay Smith, a senior research associate with Management Systems International in Washington, D.C., was formerly a visiting assistant professor of government and international studies and a resident fellow at the Walker Institute for International Studies at the University of South Carolina. He has published extensively on Malian, African, and Caribbean politics.