Burkina Faso names former foreign minister Kafando transitional president
November 17, 2014
By Mathieu Bonkoungou and Nadoun Coulibaly*
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Authorities in Burkina Faso named former foreign minister Michel Kafando as transitional president on Monday in a key step towards returning the West African country to democracy in the wake of a brief military takeover.
Kafando was chosen as part of a charter hammered out after long time President Blaise Compaore was toppled on Oct. 31 following mass protests, only to be replaced a day later Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida.
Kafando will name a prime minister to appoint a 25-member government, but will be barred from standing at elections planned for late next year.
"The committee has just designated me to guide temporarily the destiny of our country. This is more than an honour. It's a true mission which I will take with the utmost seriousness," Kafando told journalists and a 23-strong committee.
The committee, drawn from the army, traditional and religious groups, civil society and the political opposition, selected him from among five candidates after a closed-door meeting that began on Sunday and went into the early hours, witnesses said.
The African Union gave Zida two weeks to re-establish civilian rule or face sanctions and on Saturday he restored the constitution suspended when Compaore was overthrown.
Compaore was a regional power broker and a Western ally against Islamist militants, but many opposed his efforts to change the constitution that would have allowed him to stand for re-election next year and extend his 27-year rule.
Kafando, 72, was also ambassador of the former French colony at the United Nations and for one year president of the Security Council, one of several senior posts he held during Compaore's presidency. His candidacy was proposed by the army.
For the first time, political diligent organization that lays solid path to orderly transition from dictatorship through short-lived military take over, and then back to civilian interim govervance in Burkina Faso in readiness for 2015 democratically conducted election is a true testament of political evolution in the black continent of Africa. And we applaud efforts of African Union,leadership role of Burkina Faso Military,especially,Lt Colonel Zida and interim President Kafando,a well seasoned Diplomat endowed with enormous experiences. We are truly proud of the style of orderly organization and transition,a development,that should spread across all nations still resisting political wishes of human population. Martin Atayo (Technocrat) Washington DC Tel:1-888-783-4311
For the first time, political diligent organization that lays solid path to orderly transition from dictatorship through short-lived military take over, and then back to civilian interim govervance in Burkina Faso in readiness for 2015 democratically conducted election is a true testament of political evolution in the black continent of Africa.
And we applaud efforts of African Union,leadership role of Burkina Faso Military,especially,Lt Colonel Zida and interim President Kafando,a well seasoned Diplomat endowed with enormous experiences.
We are truly proud of the style of orderly organization and transition,a development,that should spread across all nations still resisting political wishes of human population.
Martin Atayo
(Technocrat)
Washington DC
Tel:1-888-783-4311