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Burkina Faso Voting for New President, Parliament

by VOA News, Emilie Iob November 29, 2015

In Burkina Faso, more than five million voters are expected to head to the polls Sunday to elect their next president and parliament. The elections are meant to restore democratic rule, a year after former president Blaise Compaoré was forced out after 27 years in power and a failed coup two months ago threatened to derail the transition process.

At the crack of dawn, lines of voters were forming in front of polling stations in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou.

Voter Moussa Banao says after the insurrection that has happened, now they want leaders that they actually choose. 'That is what motivates us to come out and vote today,' he says.

Motivated voters

Just over a year ago, massive popular protests across the country forced then president Blaise Compaoré to resign and flee the country, after he tried to change the constitution in order to extend his already 27-year rule.

For voter Mohammed Ouédraogo, voting is the continuation of that fight.

He says he is very, very proud to vote today. He says voting today is a form of fight, 'just like we fought to get these people out,' he said.

Under Compaoré's rule, voter Amadou Ouanga was old enough to vote but never did. Today, he was among the first in line.

Ouanga says it is the first time that he is voting. He says now that Burkina has a real democracy, this is why we come out to vote.

Hotly contested election

Fourteen candidates, including two women, are running in what is expected to be a hotly contested poll.

Voter Alain Columbo says there are two parties who are head-to-head in this election. He says that they can feel it will be tight, not like before, when everyone knew for sure the leading party was going to win the elections.

The two frontrunners are the longtime opposition leader Zephirin Diabré and former prime minister Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.

​​Voter Issa Korhogo says he hopes everything goes well.

And he says he hopes voters elect a president in the name of all the Burkinabe, so that the situation in the country can go back to normal.

Security is tight with close to 25,000 security personnel deployed across the country. Analysts say a second round run-off is likely.