“Instability, conflict, and mass migration in Burkina Faso has created an unstable political situation.” “The majority of the commissioners of the independent national electoral commission (CENI) were newly appointed in 2021 and have little electoral experience. The commissioners and the CENI staff will encounter unprecedented challenges in the transition, including organizing elections in large swathes of the country that are insecure; carrying out new legislation to ensure the participation of internally displaced persons (IDPs), a population that has surged to 1.7 million in just five years; and an ambitious transition agenda and timeline, which in turn create challenges for citizen and civil society engagement.”

“Additionally, there has been a drastic increase in disinformation circulating in the country, much of it originating from foreign influence campaigns aimed at influencing public opinion in the Sahel. Disinformation has been linked to massive protests and related violence. Broad civic participation by an informed populace will be critical for the credibility of the transition to civilian rule. Likewise, civil society and political parties will need to be active in consensus-building around constitutional and legal reform efforts.”