Latest news with #EmileZerbo
BBC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Burkina Faso military rulers scrap electoral commission, take control of future election
Burkina Faso military rulers don disband di kontri electoral commission, call am waste of money. Di interior ministry go handle elections in di future, state-run RTB TV report. Since dem seize power in September 2022, di coup leaders don initiate sweeping reforms, including di postponement of elections wey go lead to a return to civilian rule. A nationwide vote bin dey due last year, but di junta bin extend di period of transition to democracy until July 2029, e allow leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré to remain in power and free to contest di next presidential election. Di AFP news agency quote Territorial Administration Minister Emile Zerbo say di electoral commission dey "subsidised" wit around $870,000 (£650,000) a year. To scrap di commission go "reinforce our sovereign control on di electoral process and at di same time limit foreign influences", e bin add. Afta e come to power three years ago for middle of criticism say di civilian authorities dey fail to deal wit one growing Islamist insurgency, di military leaders don reject di assistance of former colonial power France in favour of Russia. Rights groups since don accuse di army say dem dey target civilians for attempt to quash di militants, as well as suppress political activity and di freedom of expression. Question marks also dey over di effectiveness of di military operation. In di first half of 2025, jihadist group JNIM tok say dem don carry out over 280 attacks in Burkina Faso – double di number for di same period in 2024, according to data wey di BBC verify. Additional reporting by BBC Monitoring and David Bamford.
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Burkina Faso ruling junta dissolves independent electoral commission
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Burkina Faso's military rulers have dissolved the country's independent electoral commission, authorities said. Since taking power in a 2022 coup, the West African country's military leaders have launched sweeping reforms, including postponing elections that were expected to restore civilian rule. The government passed a law late Wednesday abolishing the Independent National Electoral Commission, which is responsible for organizing elections, citing its high cost, Minister of Territorial Administration Emile Zerbo said after a Cabinet meeting. Abolishing the electoral commission will reinforce the country's 'sovereign control on the electoral process' and 'limit foreign influences,' Zerbo added. The state run television broadcaster RTB said the interior ministry will take control of future polls. The junta in Burkina Faso seized power in Sept. 2022 by ousting the military rule of Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba about eight months after it staged a coup to remove democratically elected President Roch Marc Kaboré. The country is one of several West African nations where the military has taken over in recent years, capitalizing on popular discontent with previous democratically elected governments over security issues. The junta had initially set a goal of conducting elections to return the country to democratic rule by July 2024 but last year it signed a new charter that allows the country's leader Capt. Ibrahim Traoré to remain in office until July 2029. The transitional government has been running Burkina Faso under a constitution approved by a national assembly that included army officers, civil society groups and traditional and religious leaders.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Burkina Faso ruling junta dissolves independent electoral commission
DAKAR, Senegal — Burkina Faso's military rulers have dissolved the country's independent electoral commission, authorities said. Since taking power in a 2022 coup, the West African country's military leaders have launched sweeping reforms, including postponing elections that were expected to restore civilian rule . The government passed a law late Wednesday abolishing the Independent National Electoral Commission, which is responsible for organizing elections, citing its high cost, Minister of Territorial Administration Emile Zerbo said after a Cabinet meeting.
MTV Lebanon
6 days ago
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Burkina Faso military ruler abolishes electoral commission
Burkina Faso's military rulers have disbanded the country's electoral commission calling it a waste of money. The interior ministry will handle elections in the future, state-run RTB TV reported. Since seizing power in September 2022, the coup leaders have initiated sweeping reforms, including the postponement of elections which would lead to a return to civilian rule. A nationwide vote was due last year, but the junta extended the period of transition to democracy until July 2029, allowing leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré to remain in power and free to contest the next presidential election. The AFP news agency quotes Territorial Administration Minister Emile Zerbo as saying that the electoral commission was "subsidised" with around $870,000 (£650,000) a year. Abolishing the commission would "reinforce our sovereign control on the electoral process and at the same time limit foreign influences", he added. After coming to power three years ago amid criticism that the civilian authorities were failing to deal with a growing Islamist insurgency, the military leaders have rejected the assistance of former colonial power France in favour of Russia. Rights groups have since accused the army of targeting civilians in its attempt to quash the militants, as well as suppressing political activity and the freedom of expression. There are also question marks over the effectiveness of the military operation. In the first half of 2025, jihadist group JNIM said it had carried out over 280 attacks in Burkina Faso – double the number for the same period in 2024, according to data verified by the BBC.
Business Insider
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
Burkina Faso junta tightens grip on sovereignty as it dissolves electoral body
Burkina Faso's ruling military junta has announced the dissolution of the country's national electoral body, citing high operational costs and alleged foreign interference. Burkina Faso's military junta dissolved the national electoral commission due to cost and foreign interference concerns. The electoral commission's former responsibilities will be transferred to the Ministry of Interior under direct state control. The actions have raised concerns of democratic backsliding and delayed return to civilian governance. The move is part of a broader series of cost-cutting reforms introduced by the transitional government, which came to power following a 2022 coup and has since vowed to restructure key national institutions. Under the new arrangement, formerly independent bodies, such as the electoral commission will now fall under direct state control. State broadcaster RTB TV confirmed that the interior ministry will assume responsibility for managing future elections, according to the BBC. Burkina Faso tightens control on sovereignty Burkina Faso's transitional military government said the dissolution of the Commission Électorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI), was due to the high operational costs and rising concerns over foreign interference. CENI, traditionally composed of 15 commissioners drawn from political parties and civil society groups, had been responsible for organizing elections in the country. Territorial Administration Minister Emile Zerbo confirmed that the cabinet had approved a plan to disband the body and transfer its responsibilities to his ministry. ' Subsidised with nearly half a billion CFA francs (around $870,000) each year... it is budget intensive,' Zerbo said during a televised address. He added that the restructuring was aimed at strengthening national control over electoral matters, stating, ' The change was necessary to reinforce our sovereign control on the electoral process and at the same time limit foreign influences. ' Since taking power in a 2022 coup, Burkina Faso's military leadership has distanced itself from former colonial ruler France and taken steps to centralize authority across key institutions. The military-led government has signaled a shift toward a more self-reliant and sovereign approach, part of a broader trend among West African nations seeking to redefine post-colonial ties. These moves come amid growing public pressure for greater economic independence and resource management that prioritizes national interests. Junta actions spark fears of democratic backsliding The move comes nearly a year after national elections were initially scheduled for July 2023. Those polls were postponed after the junta, which seized power in a September 2022 coup, extended its transitional rule by five years, pushing a return to civilian governance further into the future. The disbandment of the commission is expected to draw scrutiny from regional and international actors already concerned about the democratic backsliding in Burkina Faso, particularly after the country, alongside Mali and Niger, exited the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc earlier this year.
