_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21
_#_Elections:
President—last held on 9 June 1985 (next to be held June 1991); results—General Moussa TRAORE was reelected without opposition;
National Assembly—last held on 26 June 1988 (next to be held June 1991); results—UDPM is the only party; seats—(82 total) UDPM 82; note—following the military coup of 26 March 1991 President TRAORE was deposed and the UDPM was disbanded; the new ruling National Reconciliation Council, formed of 17 soldiers, has promised to institute a multiparty democracy and is expected to hold elections by December 1991
_#_Communists: a few Communists and some sympathizers (no legal Communist party)
_#_Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Mohamed Alhousseyni TOURE; Chancery at 2130 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-2249 or 939-8950;
US—Ambassador Herbert D. GELBER; Embassy at Rue Rochester NY and Rue Mohamed V., Bamako (mailing address is B. P. 34, Bamako); telephone [223] 223712
_#_Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
_*Economy #_Overview: Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with about 70% of its land area desert or semidesert. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population live as nomads and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in agriculture and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities.