Burkina Faso’s military junta dissolved all political parties in the country and removed the legal framework that governed them, according to a decree approved by the government. The junta said the decree also requires political parties’ assets to be transferred to the state, and it set out next steps for how new parties and similar groups could be created under future legislation.
Minister of Territorial Administration Emile Zerbo said the dissolution came after authorities reviewed parties and concluded they had deviated from guidelines that establish them. Zerbo said the government believes the proliferation of political parties has produced divisions among citizens and weakened social cohesion.
The decree approved this week also follows measures that have long constrained political activity in the country. Political parties and similar organizations had already faced suspensions during the junta’s rule, the government-run news agency said.
In describing the government’s move, activists said the dissolution is part of a broader pattern that has targeted civic freedom and opposition activity since the military authorities took power in a coup in 2022. The junta has pursued sweeping reforms during its rule, including postponing elections that were expected to restore civilian authority and dissolving the country’s independent electoral commission.
Burkina Faso’s military leaders have justified their political overhaul as an attempt to address what they describe as instability and fragmentation. The government-run news agency said the decree also calls for draft laws that will guide the establishment of future political parties and groups, with Zerbo saying the drafts would be submitted to the legislature “as soon as possible.”
The dissolution comes as Burkina Faso joins a growing number of countries in West and Central Africa that have experienced a surge in coups and delays in returning democratic rule, according to the report.