Burkina Faso Prime Minister Apollinaire de Kyelem estimated that if Burkina Faso rushes to organize elections while the country is not yet stabilized, the elected regime could be overthrown by a putsch.

‘We are in our third Transition, since 2015. The question we ask ourselves is the following: how to establish the stability of the institutions of Burkina Faso? Should we rush to organize folk elections to please others, at the risk of seeing the elected regime victim of a coup d’état? Or should we take the time to lay the foundations of a strong society before holding elections? This is the question we are faced with,’ said Me Apollinaire de Kyelem on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister, whose remarks were reported by his communications service, was in conversation with the Special Representative of the European Union for the Sahel, Emmanuela C. Del Re.

As a reminder, Burkina Faso has been facing terrorist attacks for eight years which have taken the lives of thousands of people, caused the displacement of sev
eral thousand others and caused a crisis at the top, with two putsches in January and September 2022. .

‘There cannot be an election if there is no territorial security. (…) populations must be free to move, come and go, and election candidates must be able to campaign throughout the country. We must reinstall voters and make credible electoral lists that include all voters,’ declared Me Apollinaire Kyelem to his host of the day.

He also informed him of the need for Burkina Faso to adopt a Constitution ‘which reflects our history, our culture and our aspirations’.

Last Thursday, the head of state, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, also indicated that securing the entire country was a priority than the elections.

Source: Burkina Information Agency