•Head of Burkina Faso’s Military Junta, Captain Ibrahim Traoré
Burkina Faso’s military-led government has dissolved all political parties and associations and repealed the laws regulating their operations, in a sweeping move that effectively ends formal party politics in the country.
The decision was announced by the presidency’s communications directorate following a meeting of the council of ministers chaired by junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, reports AFP.
Minister of Territorial Administration and Mobility, Émile Zerbo, said the action formed part of what he described as a broader effort to “re-found the state”.
According to the official statement, the authorities argued that the proliferation of political parties had contributed to divisions among citizens and weakened social cohesion.
“The measure aims to preserve national unity, strengthen the coherence of government action, and open the way for a reform of political governance,” the presidency said.
Under the decree adopted by the council of ministers, all assets belonging to the dissolved political parties are to be transferred to the state.
Zerbo said draft legislation to formalise the decision would be submitted to the Transitional Legislative Assembly in the coming days.
Before the military takeover, Burkina Faso had more than 100 registered political parties, with 15 represented in parliament following the 2020 general elections.
After Traoré seized power in a coup in September 2022, political parties were ordered to suspend their activities as part of the transition arrangements.
At the same meeting, the government also approved a new national development framework known as the “Reliance Plan”, a five-year roadmap valued at FCFA 36 trillion (about $65 billion), covering the period from 2026 to 2030.
