Democracy “kills” and the people of Burkina Faso must “forget” it, the country’s military ruler has said in an interview aired on state television. Capt Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in a coup three years ago, suggested most Africans do not want the system of democracy and that Burkina Faso had its own, alternative approach, without giving details. Traoré initially pledged to restore democratic rule to the West African country by July 2024, but two months before this deadline, the junta announced it would extend its rule for another five years.
In January, the authorities announced a ban on all political parties as part of a plan to “rebuild the state”. In Thursday night’s interview, Traoré said: “People need to forget about the issue of democracy. Democracy is not for us.
“Look at Libya, this is an example close to us,” said the 38-year-old, who casts himself as a revolutionary leader standing up to Western imperialism. Libya was ruled autocratically for four decades by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who oversaw a brutal regime while also providing Libyans with subsidised housing, free education and free healthcare. “Wherever they [Western powers] try to establish democracy in the world, it’s always accompanied by bloodshed,” Traoré said in his interview.
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While there has been a spate of military takeovers in recent years, most African countries do still hold regular elections, even if some are criticised as being rigged in favour of incumbents. Two military leaders – in Gabon and Guinea – have organised elections which they have gone on to win.
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