Gambiaj.com – (BOBO DIOULASSO) – The Burkinabè government has formally dissolved all political parties and formations in the country, presenting the move as a major step in the ongoing “refoundation of the state” following the 2022 military coup.
The decision was adopted on Thursday, January 29, during a meeting of the Council of Ministers. Authorities justified the sweeping measure by citing what they described as the excessive proliferation of political parties, which they accuse of contributing to social division and weakening national cohesion.
Political party activities in Burkina Faso had already been suspended since September 2022, when Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in a coup that overthrew Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.
Presenting the decree after the cabinet meeting, Minister of Territorial Administration Émile Zerbo announced that the government had also adopted a draft law repealing existing legislation governing the operation and public financing of political parties, as well as the legal status of the leader of the political opposition.
Part of a ‘Refoundation of the State’
According to Zerbo, the rapid growth in the number of political parties occurred “in total disconnect with the real aspirations of the people and the country’s strategic challenges, particularly security-related ones.”
He argued that this situation had “fostered divisions among citizens, contributed to the fragilization of the social fabric, and led to unbalanced territorial development.”
Describing the dissolution as a “major and important decision,” the minister said it falls within the framework of the state’s refoundation and the “popular progressive revolution” championed by the transitional authorities.
Zerbo added that further draft laws would be submitted “as soon as possible” to the Transitional Legislative Assembly.
He said the dissolution decree and the accompanying repeal bill are intended to strengthen coherence between government action and what he described as the ideals of the revolution, while also paving the way for a reform of Burkina Faso’s political governance model.
Under Article 2 of the decree, all assets and property belonging to the dissolved political parties and formations will be transferred to the state.
