APA – Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) – The head of the junta in Burkina Faso is casting on doubt on the imminent holding of elections, but assures citizens that his bet to end this period in July 2024, still stands.
“Our commitment still stands,” said Captain Ibrahim Traoré, referring to the conclusions of the October 2022 national conferences to end the transition in mid-2024, adding that “the July 2024 date has not yet arrived.”
He warned, however, that there would be no elections without security. He said he had taken power to provide security so that Burkinabè could live in dignity and peace.
“There will be no elections concentrated only in Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso and a few surrounding towns. All Burkinabé must elect their president. Those who want to run must be able to go out and campaign throughout Burkina. So, the first thing we have to do is provide security (…). Going to the polls is not a priority, security is,” the head of state insisted.
For him, “the war [against terrorism] is still in its early stages. (…) We hope that once the rainy season is over, we will be able to make serious progress in the fight.”
Captain Traoré blamed certain public figures for “making life difficult” for him.
“On the first day, we said that we wanted to spend as little time as possible in this fight [against terrorism]. If certain actors had helped us to fight seriously, we wouldn’t be at this stage,” the caretaker leader lamented.
In February 2023, Captain Traoré assured the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) that the elections would be held on time.
“We received encouragement from the head of state. He assured us of his support and of the efforts currently being made in our country to create a security climate conducive to the holding of free, transparent and fair elections,” said CENI chairman, Elysé Ouédraogo after meeting with the captain.
The Transition Charter, signed by President Traoré on October 14, 2022, provides for the organisation of legislative elections at the end of a 24-month period beginning on October 2, 2022.
Captain Traoré’s promise came at a time when several people said to be close to him were calling for no elections to be held.
Last January, Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyelem de Tembèla attacked regional, sub-regional and international bodies calling for a return to normal constitutional order.
SD/ac/lb/as/APA