African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence

African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence
Solidarité Africaine pour la Démocratie et l'Indépendance
PresidentOumar Mariko
ChairmanCheick Oumar Sissoko
Founded1996
Ideology
Political positionFar-left
International affiliationIMCWP
ICS (defunct)
ColorsRed and yellow
National Assembly
3 / 147
Website
www.parti-sadi.com

African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence (French: Solidarité Africaine pour la Démocratie et l'Indépendance) is a communist party in Mali. It was founded by Cheick Oumar Sissoko and Oumar Mariko in 1996;[1] Sissoko is the party's President and Mariko is its Secretary-General, the top post in the party.[2] The party is Pan-Africanist in ideology, is affiliated internationally with the International Communist Seminar, a grouping organised by the Workers Party of Belgium,[3][4] and is in part an outgrowth of the 1991 demonstrations against the military rule of President Moussa Traoré. Mariko was head of the Association of Students and Pupils of Mali (AEEM) during the 1991 protest movement which overthrew the government.[5]

History

The party held its first ordinary congress in March 2002, at which Mariko was chosen as its candidate for the April 2002 presidential election.[6] In this election, Mariko took 12th place with 0.88% of the vote. In the July 2002 parliamentary election, the party won six out of 147 seats.[1][7] After this, Sissoko joined the government as Minister of Culture, although Mariko opposed this move.[1]

The party's second ordinary congress was held in Koutiala in December 2006, at which it was decided to nominate a candidate for the April 2007 presidential election at a national conference on 23–24 February 2007.[8] Mariko was again chosen as the party's presidential candidate at this conference.[2] In the April election, he took fourth place with 2.72% of the vote.[7]

The party's platform for the July 2007 parliamentary election focused on its opposition to the privatisation of state industries.[9] The party won four of the 147 seats in the National Assembly,[10] and was highly critical of the ruling coalition of Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré. When parliamentary groups in the new National Assembly were created in September 2007, SADI formed a parliamentary group with the Party for National Rebirth (PARENA).[11] Following the elections, a local secretary-general of SADI, Youssouf Dembélé, was found dead on 12 August, in what the party described as an assassination.[12]

In the 2013 parliamentary elections, SADI won five seats.

References

  1. ^ a b c Benito Perez, "La faiblesse de l'État nous laisse une place pour imposer des alternatives" Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine,Le Courrier, 19 December 2006 (in French).
  2. ^ a b Présidentielle 2007 : Oumar Mariko, porte-étendard de SADI Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, L'Essor, 27 February 2007 (in French).
  3. ^ Leftist Parties of the World:Mali Archived 24 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Update: 24 July 2004
  4. ^ International Communist Seminar (Brussels): International Communist Movement / Workers Party of Belgium
  5. ^ "Malian opposition party urges CNDD not to yield to AU pressure", Panapress, 7 January 2009. "Gambia's Jammeh celebrates 17th year in power". Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ Congrès: Oumar Mariko défendra le projet "SADI" aux Présidentielles Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, L'Essor, 12 March 2002 (in French).
  7. ^ a b Elections in Mali, African Elections Database (in English).
  8. ^ "2è congrès ordinaire du SADI : Le parti ira à la Présidentielle 2007", L'Essor, 27 December 2006 (in French). "L'ESSOR : Quotidien National d'Information du Mali". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ Mali Assemblée Nationale, dernières élections Archived 29 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Union Interparlementaire.
  10. ^ "Mali : Résultats définitifs des Législatives — l'Adéma/PASJ perd dans trois localités", Les Echos, 13 August 2007 (in French).
  11. ^ "Assemblée nationale : huit groupes parlementaires constitués"[permanent dead link‍], L'Essor, number 16,038, 24 September 2007 (in French).
  12. ^ "Malian opposition party alleges leader was assassinated", African Press Agency, 13 August 2007 (in English).