The president was re-elected for a third term in under conditions generally considered free, although some international observers questioned the fairness of the overall electoral process.
Some observers found the process to be satisfactory while others concluded it did not allow for genuine competition. The National Police, which reports to the Ministry of the Interior and Security, and the National Gendarmerie, which reports to the Ministry of Defense, are responsible for domestic law enforcement.
The Directorate of Territorial Surveillance, under the Ministry of Interior and Security, is responsible for countering internal threats. Civilian authorities at times did not maintain effective control over the security forces. There were reports that members of the security forces committed some abuses. Military police and the military tribunal are responsible for investigating and prosecuting alleged abuses perpetrated by members of the security services. The government took some steps to prosecute government officials and those in the security services who were accused of abuses, but victims of reported abuses alleged their perpetrators were not disciplined.
The government also took steps to prosecute officials who were accused of committing corrupt acts and to recover assets stolen from the state. In contrast to , there were no reports that the government or its agents committed potentially arbitrary or unlawful killings. Human rights organizations reported disappearances carried out by government authorities.
In May media reported the arrest of Abdoulaye Fofana, the former aide-de-camp of Guillaume Soro, a former prime minister and prominent opposition figure living abroad in self-exile and sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for conspiracy, attempted attack on the authority of the state, and disseminating false news.
