Presidential elections were held in
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
on 13 November 2005. Incumbent president
Blaise Compaoré was re-elected with around 80% of the vote.
Background
Compaoré has been in power since October 1987, was
first elected in 1991, and was
re-elected in 1998. In August 2005 he announced his intention to run for a third term as President. Opposition politicians argued that Compaoré could not run in the election because a constitutional amendment passed in 2000 limited a president to two terms. The amendment also reduced the term length from seven to five years. Compaoré's supporters, however, argued that the amendment could not be applied retroactively.
In October 2005, the Constitutional Council ruled that because Compaoré was President in 2000, the amendment would not apply until the end of his current term, thereby allowing his candidacy in the 2005 election.
Campaign
The most contentious political issues facing the nation's government were
freedom of press, economic viability, and tension with neighboring
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
caused by alleged Burkinabé support for Ivorian insurgents and the migration of workers to the Ivory Coast and
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
.
Compaoré's campaign manager
Salif Diallo expressed confidence in his candidate: "Our objective is not the victory of our candidate in the first round - that's already a sure thing, given the mobilisation of our supporters and the popularity of our candidate. Our goal is rather that the turnout and the lead be high."
On 27 and 28 October 18 labour unions called a two-day strike for higher salaries and pensions, and lower taxes on basic necessities. While in
Gaskinde,
Bénéwendé Stanislas Sankara stated "The labour union strikes demonstrate that the citizens have had enough of this government."
Several parties did not nominate their own candidates, but supported those of other parties; the
Alliance for Democracy and Federation – African Democratic Rally and the Rally of Democrats for Faso supported Compaoré, the
Sankarist Democratic Front supported Sankara, the
Convergence for Social Democracy and the Union of Progressive Forces supported
Philippe Ouédraogo, and
Convergence of Hope backed Norbert Tiendrébéogo.
[Elections in Burkina Faso]
African Elections Database
Hermann Yaméogo of the
National Union for the Defence of Democracy withdrew his candidacy in October, but due to the lateness of his withdrawal, he remained on the ballot paper. Prior to his withdrawal, he had been supported by the Citizens League of Builders, the
Group of Patriotic Democrats, the Movement for Democracy and Rebirth, the
National Convention of Progressive Democrats, the National Republican Party-Right Path, the Party of Independent Forces for Development, the
Patriotic Front for Change, the
Union of Democrats and Independent Progressives and the Union of Forces for Renewal.
[
]
Opinion polls
Results
Aftermath
Following Compaoré's victory, he was sworn in for another term on 20 December 2005 in Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...
.Mme Brigitte Girardin a représenté la France à la cérémonie d’investiture de M. Blaise Compaoré (Ouagadougou, 20 décembre 2005)
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs .
References
{{Burkinabe elections
Presidential elections in Burkina Faso
Burkina
Presidential