Burkina Faso lawmakers have modified the electoral law, thereby barring the allies of ex-president President Blaise Compaore from running for office.
According to Reuters, the lawmakers modified the electoral code yesterday, Tuesday to prevent people from standing for office if they had supported a failed move last year to allow then-President Compaore to seek a new term.
Currently, the country is run by a transitional government ahead of elections in October, and current ministers are also not authorized to run for president.
Compaore, who seized power in a coup in 1987, was ousted from power last October in the face of mass protests against the bid by his supporters to revise article 37 of the constitution.
Under the new law, “anybody is ineligible (to run) who supported the unconstitutional change that threatened the principle of democratic choice and especially the principle of presidential term limits.“
The law applies to all elections in 2015 and 2016 and effectively bars members of Compaore’s government and the leaders of his Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) party as well as the former president’s allies.
Meanwhile, 8 members of Compaore’s regime including former minister for mines and energy Salif Lamoussa Kabore was arrested on Tuesday for offences including embezzlement, disturbing the peace and illegal political activity.
No comments:
Post a Comment