The installation ceremony of the 71 members of the Transitional Legislative Assembly took place yesterday at the headquarters of the Burkinabe parliament.
Burkina Faso now has a new parliament. Indeed, the members of the Legislative Assembly of the Transition (ALT) were officially installed in their new functions. The inauguration ceremony took place on Tuesday 22 March in Ouagadougou during a special session. The session was chaired by the oldest member, Jean Hubert Bazié, assisted by the two youngest members, Ratoussamba Zaongo, a student at Dablo, and Lieutenant Prosper Coulidiati. The transitional parliament is composed of 71 people, including political figures and representatives of civil society. The parliamentarians include Luc Adolphe Tiao, journalist and former prime minister of former president Blaise Compaoré, and constitutionalist Abdoulaye Soma, unsuccessful candidate for the 2020 presidential elections. The deputies, who wore their scarves, were acclaimed as their names were called, before being installed by the oldest member.
Representation of almost all socio-professional groups
Furthermore, it should be noted that the members of this legislature of the second transition in the country’s history were all appointed. Thus, 21 people were appointed by the Head of State, 12 by the regions, 8 by political parties, 16 by the defence and security forces and 13 by civil society organisations (CSOs). One thing that stands out in this representation of ALT members is the profile of the people chosen. Thus we find teachers, lawyers, soldiers, paramilitaries, peasants, shopkeepers, students, and even pupils etc. Should we be pleased that almost all the different trades are represented in this new Chamber? Or should we be offended? It is by their ability to legislate for the sole purpose of addressing the immense challenges facing the country that these MPs will be judged.
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As a reminder, on Monday 24 January, the military overthrew the government of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, considering that its management of terrorism was ineffective. Since then, a charter to govern the transition was signed, consecrating Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as President of the Burkinabe transition for a period of three years.
The current government is composed of 25 members and was put in place by the transitional Prime Minister Albert Ouédraogo. Finally, the country of upright men is still suspended not only from regional bodies such as the African Union (AU) and the Community of West African States (ECOWAS), but also from the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF).
We still remember that in the distant past (2014), Burkina Faso experienced a popular uprising that overthrew the military-political regime of President Blaise Campaoré. All bodies had been suspended and replaced by structures to manage the transition until the October 2015 elections.
