Burkina Faso: the duration of the transition set at three years
Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Damiba, leader of the military junta that overthrew Burkina Faso's president in January, prepares to be sworn in as head of state during a ceremony in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on 16 February 2022. via REUTERS - Burkina Faso Presidency Press Se
Text by: RFI Follow
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After several hours of discussions, the 350 delegates adopted the transition charter which was then signed by the president.
The participants decided on a period of three years for the transition before elections, while the technical commission had proposed thirty months.
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with our correspondent in Ouagadougou
,
Yaya Boudani
According to the participants, the debates were stormy on several points of the charter, in particular the duration of the transition, the number of representatives at the level of the legislative body and the possibility for the actors of the transition to participate in the next elections.
But
after sometimes very tense discussions
, the charter was finally adopted by consensus, according to former Prime Minister Tertius Zongo, who chaired
the meeting.
The document was signed by President Paul Henri Damiba.
"
It's work that has been done for this country to regain some of its pride and moral values
," said the former Prime Minister.
This charter provides for a period of three years for the transition and specifies that neither the President, nor the Prime Minister, nor the Speaker of Parliament will be able to take part in the general elections which will end the transition period.
A government of up to 25 ministers will be set up and the legislative body will consist of 71 members.
Among these parliamentarians, there will be 21 people appointed by the president of the transition, 16 representatives of the defense and security forces, 13 representatives of civil society organizations, 8 representatives of political parties and 13 representatives of the different regions of the country.
All will receive a salary for their work contrary to what
the technical commission had proposed.
diplomatic mission
While welcoming the consensus that prevailed at the adoption of the charter, Salam Sawadogo, president of the Rally of White Hands, denounces the number of seats granted to political parties.
“
The policies were not seriously taken into account.
We find ourselves with 8 representatives in the National Assembly who cannot even form a parliamentary group.
But the main thing is first of all the higher interest of the nation because there are Burkinabè who seek to return to their homes
,” he said.
This delay should allow the implementation of the agenda for the reconquest of localities besieged by armed groups and allow a return to normal constitutional order, according to several participants.
Now, they are urging the president of the transition to begin a diplomatic mission to have the deadline for the transition accepted by Burkina Faso's partners.
“
We suggested that he also approach our technical and financial partners to ensure that this deadline is suitable for everyone and that it must be able to be conducted with a lot of intelligence and without clashes
”, estimates Eddie Komboigo, the president. of the Congress for Democracy and Progress.
According to Pascal Zaïda of the National Coordination for a Successful Transition, each component now has the duty to explain the content of the charter to its activists, in order to avoid possible crises.
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Burkina Faso
Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba