President Ibrahim Bubacar Keita's Rally for Mali (RPM) remained the largest force in the 147-member National Assembly but reduced its share from 66 to 51. The RPM formed an electoral alliance with several parties, of which three won more than 10 seats: The Alliance for Democracy in Mali (ADEMA) – PASJ (led by Mr. Tiémoko Sangaré ), the Republic and Democracy Union (URD , see note 1), and the Movement for Mali (MPM, a coalition led by Mr. Hady Niangadou and Mr. Karim Keita, the President’s son). The 2020 elections were the first to be held after the adoption of the 2015 Law on gender equality (see note 2). The number of women nearly tripled to 41, up from 14 recorded in 2013. On 22 April, President Keita appointed outgoing Minister of Economy and Finance Boubou Cissé as new Prime Minister, replacing Mr. Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga .

The parliamentary elections, initially due in 2018 (see note 3), were postponed several times due mainly to insecurity in the northern part of the country . Nearly 800 polling stations (out of some 22,000) could not open due to security concerns. Several jihadist attacks were reported on polling day. The 2020 elections were held amid fear of the COVID-19 crisis. The elections saw a low turnout of 36 per cent, down from 49 per cent in 2013.

Note 1:
URD leader, Mr. Soumaila Cisse, was kidnapped on 25 March while campaigning in the central region of the country. He is one of the only 17 candidates elected in the first round.

Note 2:
Law No. 2015-052 , dated 18 December 2015, stipulates that 30 per cent of the elective and nominative positions are reserved for women. The percentage of women candidates in 2020 reached 30.3 per cent, up from 13.7 per cent in 2013.

Note 3:
The parliamentary term, which had been due to end on 31 December 2018, was initially extended to 30 June 2019 by Organic Law No. 2018-067 of 6 December 2018. Subsequently, in accordance with Law No. 2019-23/AN-RM, adopted by the National Assembly on 27 June 2019, the parliamentary term was extended to 2 May 2020.