Burkinabe junta leader prioritizes security over elections, plans constitutional changes

Burkina Faso’s junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore, who came to power in a 2022 coup, has said that elections in the country are “not a priority” compared to “security,” despite the military leadership’s earlier pledges to return to democracy with presidential elections by July 2024.

“It’s not a priority, I’ll tell you that clearly, it’s security that’s the priority” in a country plagued by jihadist violence, Traore told reporters, adding that the goal was still to organize a ballot, though without specifying a date. Speaking on state TV last week, the junta leader also announced planned changes to the constitution to make it more representative of the “masses”.

Hundreds of Burkinabes gathered in the capital Ouagadougou last Friday — the first anniversary of the coup that brought the 34-year-old Traore to power — to express support to the world’s youngest leader.

The military leader said he planned a “partial change” to Burkina Faso’s constitution, since the current constitution, in his words, reflects “the opinion of a handful of enlightened people”, to the detriment of the “popular masses.” “The current texts don’t allow us to be able to evolve peacefully,” he added.

Upon seizing power, Traore gave himself “two to three months” to improve security in Burkina Faso, but one year on, jihadist violence still plagues the West African nation. “There won’t be an election that is only concentrated in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso and other nearby towns,” Traore said, referring to two cities that have largely been spared frequent jihadist attacks. “It has to be that all Burkinabe people choose their president.”