Burkina Faso’s military-led government has announced a complete ban on all political parties, formally ending their operations more than three years after the army seized power in a 2022 coup.
The decision, announced by Interior Minister Emile Zerbo, dissolves over 100 registered parties and transfers their assets to the state, marking a major shift away from multiparty politics in the country.
The junta says the move is part of efforts to “rebuild the state,” arguing that the multiparty system had encouraged division, corruption and weakened national unity. Political parties had already been barred from public activities, but the new decree shuts them down entirely, with a draft law expected to be sent to the Transitional Legislative Assembly.
The ban has sparked mixed reactions, with some civil society voices warning it could stall democratic progress, while supporters of junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré argue that too many parties created instability.
The decision comes amid broader regional trends in West Africa, where several military governments have restricted political activity following coups.
