Burkina Faso installed Monday a new election commission after the previous one was dismissed amid criticism over November elections that handed President Blaise Compaore a large victory. The newly composed Independent National Electoral Commission will have to organise next year’s municipal and legislative elections amid unprecedented tensions which have seen military mutinies and other unrest this year.
“We are a bit late as regards the elections so we are going to immediately … get to work,” the new head of the 15-member commission, Barthelemy Kere, told reporters. This would start with proposing a timetable for the elections due next year.
The body has five seats each for the majority party, the opposition and civil society, which includes rights, traditional and religious groups. Parliament ended the mandate of the previous election authority on July 6. It had been hobbled by the resignation in June of its opposition members who complained that the November presidential vote was “catastrophic”.
Compaore, in power for 24 years, won with more than 80 percent of the votes. Opposition attempts to have the result annulled because of alleged serious irregularities were dismissed.
The rural country is one of the poorest in the world with nearly half of its 16 million population living in poverty.
Protests first broke out in February over high food prices, unemployment, rising costs and looting by troops. Soldiers and paramilitary police joined in in April, going on the rampage in several towns
Full Article: AFP: Burkina Faso sets up new vote body amid tensions.