Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta has dismantled the country’s independent electoral body, further tightening its grip on power and signaling a deeper shift away from democratic governance.
The decision to dissolve the Independent National Electoral Commission, which has historically overseen elections in the West African nation, was formalized through legislation passed late Wednesday. Emile Zerbo, Minister of Territorial Administration, announced the move following a Cabinet session, justifying it by pointing to the commission’s financial burden.
According to Zerbo, eliminating the electoral body would bolster Burkina Faso’s “sovereign control on the electoral process” while also aiming to “limit foreign influences.”
State broadcaster RTB reported that future electoral responsibilities will now be handled directly by the Ministry of the Interior, effectively centralizing control within the junta-led administration.
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This latest development is part of a broader campaign of institutional overhaul since the military seized power in September 2022, toppling Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had himself come to power in a coup eight months earlier by ousting democratically elected President Roch Marc Kaboré.
The pattern reflects a growing regional trend in West Africa, where military takeovers have gained momentum in countries plagued by insecurity and public frustration with elected governments.
Initially, Burkina Faso’s military rulers pledged to hold elections and return the country to civilian rule by July 2024. But that timeline was scrapped when a revised charter, adopted in 2023, extended Capt. Ibrahim Traoré’s tenure through July 2029.
The junta has since governed under a transitional constitution ratified by a national assembly composed of military officers, traditional leaders, religious authorities, and civil society actors, firmly embedding the armed forces in Burkina Faso’s political structure.
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