Burkina Faso’s elections are not a “priority” and the constitution will be partially changed, captain Ibrahim Traoré said on Friday evening during an interview on national television, almost a year after he came to power in a coup.
“It is not a priority, I tell you clearly, it is security that is a priority,” he replied to journalists in this country undermined by jihadist violence about elections theoretically scheduled for July 2024.
Ibrahim Traoré also announced a partial change to the constitution. “The current texts do not allow us to develop peacefully,” he replied to journalists with regard to a possible change to the Burkinabe constitution.
“We will attack a part” and make a “partial amendment” to the Constitution, he said, deploring a text that he said reflected “the opinion of a handful of enlightened people” to the detriment of a “mass of the people.” Even if the elections are not a “priority,” he added that “our bet remains” to organize a vote, without specifying a date.
“Ensure security”
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, at the helm of Burkina since September 30, 2022, said he declared “on the first day” of his assumption of power that he wanted to “invest as little time as possible in this fight.”
“There will be no elections focused only on Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso and some surrounding towns, all Burkinabè must elect their president,” he said, referring to the two towns that have been spared from frequent jihadist attacks.
“We must ensure security” and “people will be able to move freely wherever they want to campaign and give all Burkinabè the opportunity to elect their president,” he added. Several thousand people demonstrated across the country on Friday in support of the military regime and called for the adoption of a new constitution.