Burkina Faso dissolves all political parties, citing national unity and governance reforms

Burkina Faso's military-led government announced on Thursday the dissolution of all political parties and groupings, a move officials described as essential to maintaining national unity and restructuring the country's political governance. The decree was adopted during a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Ibrahim Traoré and includes the transfer of dissolved parties' assets to the state.

Rationale and Legal Steps

Minister of Territorial Administration Emile Zerbo stated that the decision followed a deep analysis of the political party system, which he said revealed "numerous deviations" in how parties operated under the legal framework. Zerbo added that draft laws to repeal existing texts on party financing and operations have been prepared and will be sent "as soon as possible" to the Transitional Legislative Assembly, a body appointed by the military government.

Context of Military Rule and Security Crisis

Burkina Faso has been under military rule since Traoré led a coup in September 2022—the second coup that year. The country faces a severe security crisis driven by insurgents linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS (Daesh). The transitional government has repeatedly postponed elections originally promised for July 2024, citing ongoing instability. While political party activities had been largely suspended since the coup, they had not been formally banned until Thursday's decree. Authorities argued that the proliferation of parties fostered division and weakened social cohesion, and said the dissolution aims to strengthen government coherence and pave the way for political reform.