By 
Asmau Uba Muhammad
Mali’s military leader Gen Assimi Goïta has been granted a five-year presidential term by the transitional parliament, which is renewable without elections.
The bill granting his new mandate said it could be renewed “as many times as necessary” and until Mali was “pacified”.
It clears the military leader to lead the West African country until at least 2030.
However, many fears that the move could lead to the repression of the opposition or dissenting opinions.
The 41-year-old military leader was named transitional president after his last coup in 2021. He has seized power twice and had promised the return of democracy last year, but it never materialised.
At the time he promised to hold elections the following year – but has since reneged, in a blow to efforts to restore multi-party rule.
The transitional bill was on Thursday unanimously approved by 131 members of the National Transitional Council, which is composed of 147 legislators.
Since taking power, the military leader has formed an alliance with coup leaders in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, pivoting the region towards Russia after cutting ties with former colonial power, France.
Gen Goïta has also withdrawn Mali from the regional grouping Ecowas over its demands to restore democratic rule. Burkina Faso and Niger have also left the grouping.
He first staged a coup in August 2020 overthrowing then-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta after huge anti-government protests against his rule and his handling of the jihadist insurgency.
However, these attacks have continued and even intensified since he took power.
Gen Goïta handed power to an interim government that was to oversee the transition to elections within 18 months.