Burkina Faso: mass demonstrations against proposal to allow 3rd presidential term
October 29, 2014
Nearly one million people in Burkina Faso joined in October 28 demonstrations against a proposal that would allow President Blaise Compaoré to serve a 3rd term, the Fides news service reports.
The massive demonstrations in Ougadougou, the capital city of the African nation, opposed a constitutional amendment that would lift the existing two-term limit on presidential service. Compaoré will complete his 2nd 5-year term next year; his supporters are proposing an amendment that would allow a president to serve three successive terms.
Last week African bishops issued a statement deploring the “refusal of democratic turnover.” The statement referred to the constitutional amendment proposal in Burkina Faso and a similar drive in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The bishops called for “the observance of the constitution and democratic turnover.”
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Further information:
- Hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets against the extension of the presidential mandate (Fides)
- African bishops oppose closing borders in fight against Ebola (CWN, 10/22)
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