Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament has endorsed a sweeping ban on political parties, effectively aligning itself with the military-led administration that imposed the restriction nationwide in late January.
Lawmakers approved the bill without opposition, a move analysts say further tightens the grip of the ruling junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré. The new law repeals the charter governing political parties, as well as legislation on party financing, election campaigns and the formal status of the political opposition.
Political activity in the Sahel nation has already been frozen since the military seized power in 2022, with parties barred from operating under earlier decrees.
The decision has drawn concern internationally. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, last week, urged the authorities to halt what he described as the shrinking of civic space and to reverse plans to outlaw all political parties.
Burkinabe authorities have in recent months rolled out tighter controls on civil society, including a restrictive freedom of association law passed in July and a November decree compelling NGOs and associations to operate bank accounts solely with a state-run financial institution.
