Burkina Faso Government 1997

Country name
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Burkina Faso
former: Upper Volta

Data code UV

Government type parliamentary

National capital Ouagadougou

Administrative divisions 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou,Gnagna, Gourma, Houe, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun,Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga,Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo

Independence 5 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)

Constitution 2 June 1991

Legal system based on French civil law system and customary law

Suffrage none

Executive branch
chief of state: President Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Kadre' De'sire' OUE'DRAOGO (since 6 February 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendationof the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election lastheld 1 December 1991 (next to be held NA 1998); prime minister appointed bythe president with the consent of the legislature
election results: Blaise COMPAORE elected president with 90.4% percent of the votes ofthose who voted (the abstention rate was 74.7%)

Legislative branch unicameral Assembly of People's Deputies or Assemblee des Deputes Populaires(111 seats; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms)
elections : last held 11 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDP 97, PDP 6, RDA 2,ADF 2; note - 4 contested seats are to be filled in special election on 19June 1997 by order of the Supreme Court
note: the current law also provides for a second consultative chamber, whichhas not been formally constituted

Judicial branch Supreme Court; Appeals Court

Political parties and leaders Organization for People's Democracy - Labor Movement or ODP-MT (rulingparty at time of 1992 elections but was subsumed, with about a dozen smallerparties, into the powerful CDP in February 1996); African Democratic Assemblyor RDA [Gerard Kango OUEDRAOGO]; Alliance for Democracy and Federation orADF [Herman YAMEOGO]; Burkinabe Socialist Bloc or BSB [Earnest Nongma OUEDRAOGO,president]; Burkinabe Environmentalist Party or UVDB; Congress for Democracyand Progress or CDP [Din Salif SAWADAGO] (the strongest party in the 1997legislative elections); Front for Social Forces or FFS [Fide'le KIENTEGA];National Convention of Progressive Patriots-Social Democratic Party or CNPP-PSD[Moussa BOLY] (not prominent in 1997); Party for Democracy and Progress orPDP [Joseph KI-ZERBO]; Party for Progress and Social Development or PPDS;Party for African Independence or PAI

Political pressure groups and leaders committees for the defense of the revolution; watchdog/political actiongroups throughout the country in both organizations and communities

International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol,IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission : Ambassador Gaetan R. OUEDRAOGO
chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577, 6895

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Sharon P. WILKINSON (16 July 1996)
embassy: Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou
mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou
telephone: [226] 306723 through 306725
FAX : [226] 303890

Flag description two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointedstar in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

NOTE: The information regarding Burkina Faso on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Burkina Faso Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Burkina Faso Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.