In October 2000, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, the former prime minister of Mali, resigned from incumbent President Alpha Oumar Konaré's party, the Alliance for Democracy in Mali-African Party for Solidarity and Justice (ADEMA-PASJ), over which he had presided since 1994. With activists and executives in tow, Keïta created the movement Alternative 2002 in February 2001 to back his bid for president. The Rally for Mali followed in June.