Burkina Faso’s President, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has declared that his country is not operating under a democratic system but is instead undergoing what he describes as a “popular, progressive revolution.”
Speaking during a flag-raising ceremony at the Koulouba Palace, Traoré questioned the effectiveness of democracy in driving national development. He argued that no nation has truly advanced as a result of democratic governance.
“It is false to believe that any country has developed under a democratic system,” the 37-year-old military leader said. “Democracy is only the result, not the means.”
Traoré emphasized that Burkina Faso has chosen a different path tailored to its current realities, asserting that the country’s transformation requires revolutionary action rather than what he called the “libertinism” often associated with democracy.
“If we have to say it loud and clear here, we are not in a democracy—we are in a popular, progressive revolution,” he stated. “This notion of unrestrained freedom of speech or action only leads to societal disorder.”
Traoré rose to power in September 2022 after leading a military coup that removed interim president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. Since then, he has positioned himself as a nationalist leader focused on security, infrastructure, and asserting sovereignty.
He called on the people of Burkina Faso, a majority-Muslim nation, to prioritize investment in essential infrastructure and development projects that serve the population directly, rather than placing faith in foreign-backed democratic frameworks.
