Burkina Faso President Declares Nation in "Popular, Progressive Revolution," Not Democracy

Captain Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso

President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has declared that the country is currently undergoing a “popular, progressive revolution” rather than operating under a democratic system.

Speaking during a flag-raising ceremony at the Koulouba Palace, Captain Traoré stated, “If we have to say it loud and clear here, we are not in a democracy, we are in a popular, progressive revolution.” He challenged the widespread assumption that democracy is a prerequisite for national development, calling it a “false” belief.

“It is impossible to name a country that has developed in democracy. Democracy is only the end result,” Traoré said, emphasizing that revolution is a necessary phase of national growth.

He added that his administration would continue efforts to communicate and educate the population about the nature and goals of the revolution underway in Burkina Faso.

“We must necessarily go through a revolution, and we are indeed in a revolution,” he stated.

Addressing concerns about civil liberties and democratic freedoms, Traoré dismissed the relevance of debates about freedom of expression or action during this period. “So this question of democracy or libertinism of action or expression has no place. As much as you think you are free to speak and act, the other is also free to speak and act, and there we end up with a society of disorder,” he said.