The hour of the opposition?

First there was applause. Then some 80 delegates spontaneously burst into song with the national anthem. "The representatives of the army, the political opposition and non-governmental organizations have unanimously adopted a charter for the formation of a civilian transitional government," announced the president of the assembly, Henry Ye.

According to participants, a special electoral body will now decide upon an interim civilian president, who in turn will appoint a head of government and lead a 25-member interim cabinet. A transitional parliament, of which 90 seats belong to the "National Transition Council," will be a civil authority.

At the end of October, the military took over the West African country after former President Blaise Compaore resigned under the pressure of mass protests after 27 years in power. The protests were triggered by a planned constitutional amendment, which the head of state intended to use to secure a second term in office.

Uprising, then aimlessness

Now, the hour of the opposition parties might be over. Adama Kanazoe, chairman of the opposition "Alliance of youth for the independence of the republic," speaks of an "extraordinary" and "historic" day. The agreement to form an interim government was a sign of the "maturity" of the African state. How mature his and other opposition parties are, however, is questionable.

Last month, his party would have simply not expected to overthrow the president and was therefore not prepared for this situation, Kanazoe admits. The main demand of the opposition had originally been that Compaore not stand again in next year's election - and not his immediate resignation. "We have to think again," said the politician in an interview with DW.

As well as representatives of other parties, at the moment, Kanazoe is willing to suggest neither a successor for Compaore, nor make concrete demands for the long-term restructuring of Burkina Faso. "Instead, all political forces and the military should first find a candidate for the transitional period."

In that respect, the opposition is in agreement, "even though each has its own ambitions" as Sereme Saran, leader of the opposition Party for Development and Change (PDC), explains.

Same old, same old?

The fact that Burkina Faso isn't currently making any concrete plans comes as no surprise to Elke Erlecke, director of the West Africa Program of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

Firstly, none of the ambitious opposition leaders can be the transitional head of state, she says, since it might exclude them from a later regular run for presidency. On the other hand, most parties currently have no political manifesto to promote.

"The manifestos mainly contain only general requirements, such as democracy, peace and harmony," says Erlecke. Concrete proposals to reduce poverty in one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world? No chance!

Most parties in Burkina Faso are used as a means to come to power, she says. Many of today's opposition politicians, such as Saran Sereme and the head of the "Union for Progress and Change", Zephirin Diabre, are even former members of Compaore's former ruling party, the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP). There is little ideological difference separating politicians and parties in Burkina Faso.

Power to the citizen force

Despite the many similarities between the old regime and the opposition forces, Erlecke has no fears that everything will remain the same.

In recent years, a strong civil society has developed, one which also led the most recent protests. Its leaders are not politicians, but two young musicians.

The aim of the group, which was founded just last summer by rapper "Smokey" and reggae singer "Sams'K le Jah," is no less than to "re-establish the democratic rules in Burkina Faso." These activists are as skeptical about opposition parties as they are about the old regime.

"Whoever leads the country in the future must sit down at the table with these organizations and citizens' groups," said Erlecke. These new forces are unlikely to accept a continuation of the old corruption and nepotism.