A Commission set up early February by the military junta that seized power a month ago in Burkina Faso has proposed a 30-month transition before a return to constitutional order.
In a report, the commission “proposes 30 months of transition headed” by junta leader Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, as well as “the establishment of a small government and legislative body, not exceeding 20 and 50 members respectively,” a military source said. The announcement was confirmed by a source close to the presidency.
The report, a draft charter and agenda for the transition, was presented Wednesday to the head of the junta, but its content has not been made public.
It will have to be submitted to the military hierarchy and the country’s “living forces” – parties, unions and civil society organizations – before any validation, the source close to the presidency said, confirming the proposal for a 30-month transition period before general and inclusive elections are held.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which suspended Burkina Faso from the organization on January 28 because of the coup, had asked the new authorities to present a “reasonable timetable for the return to constitutional order.
In handing over her report to Damiba, who was inaugurated president and head of state on February 16 by the Constitutional Council, Mariame Ouattara, chairwoman of the commission, explained that she had been “inspired” by the directives given by the junta.
These directives concern “the restoration of territorial integrity, the consolidation of peace for the return of internally displaced persons, good governance and the return to a new constitutional order.