Constitution of Burkina Faso

Politics of Burkina Faso
Constitution (suspended)
Government
Parliament
Administrative divisions
Elections
Foreign relations

The Constitution of Burkina Faso was approved by referendum on 2 June 1991, formally adopted 11 June 1991 and last amended in January 2002. The last amendment abolished the upper chamber of the parliament, the Chamber of Representatives.

In 2015, President Kaboré promised to revise the 1991 constitution. The revision was completed in 2018. One condition prevents any individual from serving as president for more than ten years either consecutively or intermittently and provides a method for impeaching a president. A referendum on the constitution for the Fifth Republic was erroneously announced for 24 March 2019 but has not actually been officially scheduled.[1]

Certain rights are also enshrined in the revision: access to drinking water, decent housing, and recognition of the right to civil disobedience, for example. The referendum was required because the opposition parties in Parliament refused to sanction the revised wording.[2]

On 24 January 2022, following a coup d'état, the military announced on television that Kaboré had been deposed from his position as president.[3] After the announcement, the military declared that the parliament, government and constitution had been dissolved.[4] On 31 January, the military junta restored the constitution and appointed Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as interim president.[5] Following the September 2022 coup d'état, captain Ibrahim Traoré suspended the Constitution.[6]

In December 2023, a new draft revision of the constitution is adopted by the government, relegating French as a working language and abolishing the High Court of Justice, which judges political figures.[7] In October 2024, the transitional Parliament authorizes an amendment to the Constitution. Before being submitted to the Constitutional Council, and then, its promulgation by President Ibrahim Traoré.[8]

  1. ^ Bertrand, Eloïse (7 March 2019). "Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Burkina Faso: Le référendum constitutionnel prévu le 24 mars 2019". Radio France Internationale (in French). 27 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Burkina Faso army says it has deposed President Kabore". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Burkina Faso military says it has seized power". BBC News. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Burkina Faso restores constitution, names coup leader president". Al Jazeera. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Burkina: des militaires annoncent la dissolution du gouvernement, le capitaine Ibrahim Traoré prend la tête du pays" (in French). Radio France Internationale. 30 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Le Burkina Faso révise sa Constitution et relègue le français au rang de « langue de travail »". Le Monde (in French). 7 December 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Le Burkina Faso change de devise pour rétablir celle de Thomas Sankara". Radio France International (in French). 31 October 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.