By Ebi Kesiena
Burkina Faso’s Transitional Legislative Assembly has unanimously approved a bill dissolving all political parties and political movements, signalling a decisive shift in the country’s political path.
The legislation was adopted on Tuesday with all 69 voting members of the Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT) endorsing the measure, effectively dismantling the existing multiparty political framework.
With the passage of the bill, the 2001 law governing political parties and movements has been repealed, alongside the 2009 legislation regulating the financing of political parties, electoral campaigns and the status of the political opposition.
Minister of Territorial Administration, Émile Zerbo, explained that the move is in accordance with the government’s resolve to refound the state and undertake a profound reorganisation of Burkina Faso’s political life.
According to the transitional authorities, the previous legal framework encouraged the unchecked proliferation of political parties that lacked clear ideological foundations, credible representation or strong territorial presence. This, the government argued, fuelled widespread public distrust in political institutions.
Officials further maintained that the application of the multiparty laws over the years revealed their inability to address the aspirations of the Burkinabè people or respond effectively to the country’s evolving security challenges. They said the existing system no longer aligns with the objectives of state rebuilding and national cohesion.
The repeal, authorities noted, is intended to clear the path for the development of a new legal framework that better reflects Burkina Faso’s sociocultural realities and current national priorities.
The bill had earlier received approval from the Council of Ministers on January 29, 2026. The government insists the decision, framed as a necessary step to curb political fragmentation, is a key component of the broader state refoundation process being pursued by the transitional administration.
