Blaise Compaore
Burkina FasoBiography of Blaise Compaoré
Blaise Compaoré was born in Ouagadougou in 1951. He completed his education at a Catholic school and a teacher training college before voluntarily joining the military. At the age of 22, he was sent to a military academy and graduated as a junior lieutenant. In the 1970s, Compaoré was involved in an underground association of Marxist-oriented officers.
Political Career
In 1981-82, Compaoré served in the National Council of the Armed Forces and became a member of the Secretariat of the Council for National Salvation as a result of a military coup in 1982. He came to power in the former Upper Volta in 1987 following another coup. In 1991, he was elected president as the sole candidate in the elections.
Current Presidency
Blaise Compaoré has been re-elected as the president of Burkina Faso for a third term. For the first time in his 11-year tenure, he faced strong competition from two opposition representatives: Ram Ouedraogo, representing the "Greens" party, and Frederic Fernand Girma from the Front for Refusal. Despite the competition, observers had no doubt that the president would successfully secure re-election for another 7-year term.
Controversies
On the current elections, nine parties, including the most influential opposition organizations in the country, boycotted the voting. According to their opinion, the electoral commission was fully controlled by the government and failed to ensure impartial vote counting. However, Blaise Compaoré enjoys a good reputation among international financial institutions for not ignoring the laws of the market economy.
