1991 Burkinabé presidential election

Election of Blaise Compaoré Presidential elections were held in Burkina Faso on 1 December 1991. They were the first elections in the country since 1978, but were boycotted by the opposition parties.1991-12-02 World IN BRIEF : BURKINA FASO : Vote Marred by Low Turnout, Violence https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-02-mn-672-story.html Los Angeles Times en-US1992 Election Watch https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/225544 Journal of Democracy 3 1 123–126 10.1353/jod.1992.0001 1086-3214 subscription 225544124 The result was a victory for the only candidate, incumbent President Blaise Compaoré, although voter turnout was just 27.3%. Turnout was highest in Oubritenga (Bassitenga) Province, at 83.8%; Compaoré's hometown of Ziniaré is located in this province. Turnout was lowest in Kouritenga Province, with only 9.3% of eligible voters voting.Compaore's decision to bid for re-election raises opposition hackles https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/report/55816/burkina-faso-compaores-decision-bid-re-election-raises-opposition-hackles The New Humanitarian 13 September 2026 en 11 August 2005Grotz Florian Nohlen Dieter Krennerich Michael Thibaut Bernhard Elections in Africa: A Data Handbook 7 September 1999 Oxford University Press, USA 9780198296454 Burkina Faso https://doi.org/10.1093/0198296452.003.0006145,148 Background The previous Burkinabe elections had been held in 1978. Multiple coups (in 1980, 1982, 1983, and 1987) occurred in the intervening years.124 Blaise Compaoré came to power in the 1987 coup, which included the assassination of the sitting President, Thomas Sankara.Brooke James A FRIENDSHIP DIES IN A BLOODY COUP https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/26/world/a-friendship-dies-in-a-bloody-coup.html The New York Times 13 September 2026 26 October 1987 Opposition parties were outlawed until 1989.124 In June 1991, a new constitution was approved in a referendum. It introduced the ability of opposition parties to organize, but they were not allowed to challenge Compaoré's rule.Polity5 Regime Narratives: Burkina Faso 2018 Center for Systemic Peace https://www.systemicpeace.org/polity/P5BurkinaFaso2018.pdf 21 April 2026 2 Between the June referendum and December election, the coalition between Compaoré's ruling party (Organization for Popular Democracy – Labour Movement) and the opposition parties (fr Coordination des Forces Démocratique) fractured.124-125 Compaoré agreed to hold a presidential election after a series of strikes demanding democracy in the country. Although Compaoré agreed to hold the elections, opposition groups boycotted the election because he had failed to follow through on a promise to transfer power to a transitional government instead of retaining power himself.Burkina Faso holds 1-candidate election https://newspaperarchive.com/northwest-florida-daily-news-dec-02-1991-p-7/ 13 September 2026 Northwest Florida Daily News Associated Press 2 December 1991 7 en Results Blaise Compaoré Organization for Popular Democracy – Labour Movement 750146 117892 3179053 145 Aftermath The next presidential election would be held in 1998. By that point, opposition parties were permitted to run against Compaoré, although they boycotted that election as well. Compaoré remained as president until 2014, when a popular uprising led him to resign.Bonkougou Mathieu Coulibaly Nadoun Burkina Faso leader says to hand power to transitional body https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burkina-politics-idUSKBN0IJ0NZ20141101/ Reuters 13 September 2026 3 November 2014 References Category:Presidential elections in Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Presidential Category:Single-candidate elections