Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament has approved a sweeping bill banning all political parties, a move widely seen as strengthening the control of the military government led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré. The legislation repeals the charter governing political parties, as well as laws on party financing, election campaigns, and the legal status of the political opposition. Lawmakers passed the bill without opposition. Political party activities have effectively been frozen since the army seized power in 2022. The new measure formalizes that suspension and further narrows political space in the coup-hit Sahel nation.
The decision has drawn international concern. Last week, the UN human rights chief urged the authorities to halt repression of civic space and reconsider plans to outlaw parties. The ban follows other restrictive steps, including a July law tightening control over freedom of association and a November decree requiring NGOs and civil society groups to operate accounts solely through a state-run bank. A government minister defended the move as a national “reset,” arguing that political parties had fueled division and polarization. Critics, however, say the measures sideline opposition voices and entrench military rule in a country already grappling with insecurity and jihadist violence.
