Burkina Faso flag Burkina Faso: Economic and Political Overview

The political framework of Burkina Faso

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders
President (interim): Ibrahim Traoré (since the military coup of 30 September 2022)
Prime Minister: Apollinaire J. Kyélem de Tambèla (since 21 October 2022)
Next Election Dates
Presidential: July 2024, but may be delayed by the transitional government due to security concerns
National Assembly: July 2024, but may be delayed by the transitional government due to security concerns
Main Political Parties
The main political parties in Burkina Faso are:

- Peoples Movement for Progress (MPP)
- African Democratic Rally/Alliance for Democracy and Federation (ADF/RDA)
- Union for Progress and Reform (UPC)
- Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP)
- Act Together (AT)
- Convergence for Progress and Solidarity-Generation 3 (CPS-G3)
- Movement for the Future Burkina Faso (MBF)
- National Convention for Progress (CNP)
- New Era for Democracy (NTD)
- Pan-African Alliance for Refoundation (APR)
- Party for Democracy and Socialism/Metba (PDS/Metba)
- Party for Development and Change (PDC)
- Patriotic Rally for Integrity (RPI)
- Progressives United for Renewal (PUR)
- Union for Rebirth - Sankarist Party (UNIR-PS).
Executive Power
Before the 2022 coup and the ad hoc suspension of laws and constitutional provisions, the president was elected directly by an absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if necessary, serving a 5-year term and eligible for a second term. The last presidential election took place on 22 November 2020. The next scheduled election was to be held by July 2024, but it might be delayed by the transitional government due to security concerns. The prime minister was appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly.
Legislative Power
Before the coup and the temporary suspension of laws and constitutional provisions in 2022, the unicameral National Assembly comprised 127 seats. Among these, 111 members were directly elected across 13 multi-seat constituencies through a party-list proportional representation vote, while 26 members were elected nationwide through proportional representation voting. Members served 5-year terms. In 2022, a 71-member Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT) was appointed indefinitely by the military junta, effectively replacing the National Assembly.
 

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

Definition:

The world rankings, published annually, measures violations of press freedom worldwide. It reflects the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists, the media and digital citizens of each country and the means used by states to respect and uphold this freedom. Finally, a note and a position are assigned to each country. To compile this index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) prepared a questionnaire incorporating the main criteria (44 in total) to assess the situation of press freedom in a given country. This questionnaire was sent to partner organisations,150 RWB correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. It includes every kind of direct attacks against journalists and digital citizens (murders, imprisonment, assault, threats, etc.) or against the media (censorship, confiscation, searches and harassment etc.).

World Rank:
37/180
 

Indicator of Political Freedom

Definition:

The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.

Ranking:
Partly Free
Political Freedom:
4/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House

 

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Latest Update: March 2024