Following the independence era in Africa, there was a brief period of democratic ambition, but centralized governments remained the norm throughout the continent. As transition movements were launched across the region in the 1990s, decentralization became a key element of democratization. In West Africa, those states that failed to pursue inclusive constitutionalism and decentralization, failed to democratize. After decades of centralized government that routinely ignored the needs of the Malian population, particularly of the geographically remote Tuareg population and the rural majority, the Malian National Conference had paved the way for decentralization. Conference participants overwhelmingly agreed that democracy would depend on the incorporation of local interests and concerns into government and that the top down governance approach of the past would not lead to a sustainable democratic future for the country. As a result, delegates to the conference incorporated decentralization into the constitution of the Third Republic (articles ninety-seven and ninety-eight).