Burkina Faso’s military-led government has dissolved the country’s electoral commission, transferring its responsibilities to the interior ministry in a move the junta says is aimed at cutting costs and asserting national sovereignty.
The announcement was made via state-run RTB television, with officials confirming that the interior ministry will now assume full control over the country’s electoral process.
According to Territorial Administration Minister Emile Zerbo, the commission had been receiving an annual subsidy of approximately $870,000 (£650,000). “Abolishing it will reinforce our sovereign control on the electoral process and at the same time limit foreign influences,” Zerbo was quoted as saying by AFP.
The decision is the latest in a series of sweeping reforms implemented by the junta since it seized power in a coup in September 2022. Among those reforms was the postponement of general elections initially slated for last year. The military rulers have since extended the transitional period until July 2029, allowing the current leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, to remain in power and potentially contest the next presidential election.
The junta has justified its actions by citing the need to restore order and security in the face of a prolonged Islamist insurgency that has destabilised much of the country. In distancing itself from France, Burkina Faso has sought closer ties with Russia — a shift reflecting the broader geopolitical realignment pursued by several military-led governments in the Sahel region.
However, rights groups have raised alarms over alleged abuses by the military, including attacks on civilians and a crackdown on political opposition and press freedoms.
Despite assurances from the government of improved security, data paints a grim picture. The jihadist coalition Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has claimed responsibility for over 280 attacks in the first half of 2025 — double the number reported during the same period in 2024, according to BBC-verified figures.
