Government and power in Burkina Faso

Who leads Burkina Faso, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary republic under a military-led transition.

Who leads Burkina Faso?

• Head of state: Capitaine Ibrahim Traoré (Président du Faso, Chef de l'État)
• Head of government: Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo (Premier Ministre, Chef du Gouvernement du Burkina Faso)
• Foreign minister: Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré (Ministre des Affaires étrangères du Burkina Faso)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Burkina Faso

Government

• Government Information Service
  Council of Ministers reports, government communiqués and official news.

Parliament

• Transitional Legislative Assembly
  Laws adopted, plenary session records and the list of members of the transitional legislature.

Courts

• Constitutional Council
  Decisions on constitutionality, election disputes and opinions.

Asset declarations

• Higher Authority for State Control and the Fight against Corruption
  State audit and inspection reports, anti-corruption reports and information on asset declarations by officials.

Public contracts

• Directorate General of Procurement and Financial Commitments
  Public procurement notices, procurement plans and contract control information for Burkina Faso.

Government below the national level

• Regions (17 since the July 2025 reorganisation; 13 before): Governor appointed by central government; the elected regional council has been replaced by an appointed special delegation since 2022
• Provinces (47): High commissioner appointed by central government
• Departments (about 350) / Communes (351 in 2022: 49 urban, 302 rural): Prefect appointed for each department; communes normally have an elected council that elects the mayor, but are now run by appointed special delegations

How local power works in Burkina Faso

Places in Burkina Faso

• All 13 regions
• The 6 largest cities
• Official statistics for Burkina Faso

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.