Burkina Faso’s military-led government has dissolved all political parties and scrapped the legal framework governing their operations, further tightening its grip on power more than three years after the coup that brought the junta to office.
The decision was approved by the council of ministers on Thursday and enacted through a decree, marking the latest step by authorities who seized power in September 2022 to consolidate control after previously suspending political activities.
Interior Minister Emile Zerbo said the move was part of a broader effort to “rebuild the state,” arguing that the country’s multiparty system had become dysfunctional and prone to abuse.
He said a government review found that the proliferation of political parties had fuelled divisions and weakened social cohesion.
Before the coup, Burkina Faso had more than 100 registered political parties, with 15 represented in parliament following the 2020 general election.
Under the decree, all political parties and political formations are dissolved, and their assets will be transferred to the state.
A new law repealing statutes governing political parties, public financing, and the status of the opposition leader will be submitted to the transitional legislative council.
The move comes as the Sahel nation, like neighbours Mali and Niger, continues to battle Islamist insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, violence that has killed thousands and displaced millions across the region over the past decade.