Burkina Faso’s military-led government has officially dissolved the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).
This move was announced following a cabinet session on July 17, 2025. Officials claimed that the commission was expensive to maintain and open to foreign influence.
Going forward, the responsibility of organizing elections will be handled by the Ministry of Territorial Administration.
The country’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, pointed out that CENI was receiving close to $870,000 annually.
He said managing the electoral process through the ministry would reduce costs and allow the state to better control how elections are run, without relying on outside input.
Since seizing power in September 2022, the ruling military under Captain Ibrahim Traoré has delayed elections that were supposed to be held by mid-2024.
A revised transition plan has extended his stay in office until at least 2029, and it also gives him the right to contest future elections.
This development adds to a growing trend in West Africa where military leaders are taking over civilian governments, citing failures to curb security threats.
In recent years, several countries in the region have experienced similar coups, mostly driven by dissatisfaction with elected governments and rising violence.
So far, the military has not explained how it plans to carry out elections under this new structure.
There has been no information on whether any form of independent monitoring will be allowed, raising concerns about how free and fair future elections might be.
The removal of CENI gives the junta full control over the election process.
With no independent body in place, critics fear this could limit transparency and reduce public trust in the country’s future votes.