News

Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso to hold presidential vote November 21, Reuters (2010)

The government of Burkina Faso has officially announced that the country will hold a presidential election on November 21, 2010. These elections will be extremely important given the role played by the country in West Africa.

Burkina Faso opposition fight moves to extend president's rule, Times Live (2010)

This article discusses opposition parties' efforts to enforce presidential term limits in Burkina Faso. The next presidential election will be held in November. (From AFP)

Amid voter apathy, Burkina Faso enters last week of presidential election campaign, VOA News (2010)

This article reports on the last week of campaigning in Burkina Faso. On Sunday, the 3.2 million eligible voters will cast their ballots to elect a new president, and President Blaise Compaoré is one of the front-runners. Compaoré seized power in a coup d'état in 1987, and won the 2005 elections with an overwhelming majority of the votes (80%). In the race, the incumbent President faces five opposition candidates, and Bénéwendé Sankara is his closest opponent (in 2005 he received 5% of the votes).

Burkina Faso goes to the polls for presidential elections, VOA News (2010)

This article reports on the Election Day in Burkina Faso: on Sunday approximately 3.2 million registered voters are expected to go to the polls to elect a new president. President Compaoré faces five opposition candidates and one independent, but he is expected to win. In the 2005 elections, he received 80% of the votes.

Africa power-broker Compaore confident of new term, Reuters (2010)

This article reports on the few days before the Sunday poll in Burkina Faso. President Blaise Compaore, who has been ruling the country since 1987, is expected to win the presidential elections. Hi most serious opponent is Benewende Sankara, who also challenged him in the 2005 elections (receiving about 5% of the votes).

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Thin turnout seen in Burkina presidential vote, Reuters (2010)

This article reports on the latest updates from the Election Day in Burkina Faso. The polling went smoothly, but the voter turnout was much lower than expected. Many experts believe that the low participation is due to a general apathy towards the elections. Furthermore, president Compaore has no real opponent and he is already expected to win the elections.

Burkina Faso presidential election goes on peacefully, The People's Daily Online (2010)

This article reports on the voting operations in Burkina Faso. The Sunday presidential elections were carried out peacefully and no disruption was reported. 12,000 polling stations have been set across the country. An observer from the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) mission reported some activities aimed at influencing voters, but believes that the elections were in general transparent.

Vote counting begins in Burkina Faso, RFI (2010)

This article reports on the vote counting operations in Burkina Faso. Right after the polls closed on Sunday, the Electoral Commission announced that the preliminary results will be announced on Thursday, November 25. Incumbent President Blaise Compaoré is expected to win this presidential election.

Burkina Faso opposition claims election was rigged, The Washington Post (2010)

This article reports on the aftermath of the presidential election in Burkina Faso. Four of the seven candidates stated that they will not recognize the results of the election because the vote was rigged. These candidates cited serious irregularities and claim that the electoral officials allowed ineligible voters to cast their ballots. The Election Board did not comment on their accusations.

ECOWAS Declares As Satisfactory Conduct of Presidential Elections in Burkina Faso, AllAfrica (2010)

This article reports on the conclusions of the electoral observation mission deployed by the ECOWAS for the presidential elections in Burkina Faso. In their preliminary statement, the observers expressed satisfaction "with the various efforts undertaken by Burkina Faso authorities and by all the stakeholders to secure a good electoral process in a peaceful environment".

Burkina Faso's Compaore elected to fourth term, Bloomber BusineesWeek (2010)

This article reports on the final results for the presidential election in Burkina Faso. On November 21, president Blaise Compaore was elected to a fourth term with 80.2% of the votes cast, while his main opponent Hama Arba Diallo was the second-highest candidate, with 8.2%. Voter turnout was 55%.