Burkina Faso votes for new president after year of upheaval

Counting is under way in Burkina Faso where voters have been choosing a new president and parliament after a year of political turmoil.

In the race for the presidency, seven of the 14 contenders were once close to Mr Compaore, including the two favourites Roch Marc Christian Kabore and Zephirin Diabre.

Hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets in October 2014, furious over then-President Blaise Compaore’s bid to scrap constitutional term limits and stay in office.

Electoral officials count ballots during the presidential and legislative election in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, November 29, 2015.

Compaore seized power by that route and ruled for 27 years, winning four elections – all of which were criticised as unfair.

He was toppled by protests when he tried to change the constitution to extend his rule even further.

Diabre was minister of finance in the 1990s in the West African country before he stepped down to go into opposition.

According to a readout issued at the time, the Secretary-General also reiterated his call on all national stakeholders to act responsibly, exercise restraint and work in the best interests of the country, while reaffirming the UN’s commitment to supporting national efforts, including for the organization of the elections. Fourteen candidates are vying to be the next president.

However, in September, units from the country’s Presidential Guard, led by Gen. Gilbert Diendere, stormed into a cabinet meeting and arrested Kafando, Isaac Zida, interim prime minister, and a handful of other government ministers.

That coup cost more than $50 million in lost revenue, trimming growth by 0.3 percentage points. The attempt failed and the guard was disbanded by the security forces.