Burkina Faso's parliament approves ban on political parties

Burkina Faso's transitional parliament on Monday approved a bill banning all political parties in a move observers say allows the military junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traore to consolidate control.

The text which received no opposition from lawmakers repeals the charter of political parties and the law relating to the financing of parties, electoral campaigns and the status of the political opposition.

Political party activities have been suspended in the Sahel country since the army seized power in 2022.

On Thursday, the United Nations rights chief called on the Burkina Faso government to halt all repression of civic space and to overturn its plan to prohibit all political parties.

In July, Burkinabe authorities enacted a restrictive new law on freedom of association and, in November, issued a new decree requiring NGOs and associations to open and maintain cash accounts exclusively with a state-run bank.

A government minister has defended the ban as a 'reset' which ends the polarization of the population which he blamed on political parties.