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Former PM Kaboré wins Burkina Faso presidential vote

01/12/2015 04:49

Former prime minister Roch Marc Kaboré was proclaimed the winner of the presidential election in Burkina Faso and will become the country’s first new leader in decades, the Independent National Electoral Commission said on Tuesday.

 

 

The election of the former prime minister represents a pivotal moment for a West African nation, which has been ruled by leaders who came to power in coups for most of its history since independence from France in 1960.

Kaboré served as prime minister and head of the National Assembly under President Blaise Compaoré, who was toppled by an uprising in October 2014 after 27 years in power. Kaboré split with Compaoré early last year and formed an opposition party.

“My first thought is to recognise the honour of this high office and to feel the weight of its great responsibility,” Kaboré said in a speech to thousands of his supporters after being declared winner.

Provisional results from Sunday’s election showed Kaboré won 53.5 percent of the vote to defeat former Finance Minister Zéphirin Diabré, who scored 29.7 percent, and 12 other candidates, the electoral commission said. Turnout was about 60 percent. The outright majority means there will be no run-off.

“This election went off in calm and serenity, which shows the maturity of the people of Burkina Faso,” Barthélémy Kéré, president of the electoral commission, told a news conference.

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