Long-time ruler Blaise Compaore took the oath of office on Tuesday for another term as elected president of Burkina Faso, a West African nation whose people are among the world’s poorest.
Nearly a dozen African leaders looked on as Compaore took the oath of office after a landslide November re-election for another five-year term.
”I swear before the Burkinabe people and on my honour to preserve, respect and defend the constitution and its laws,” said Compaore, a 54-year-old former army captain who rose to power in a bloody 1987 coup before later arranging elections he won.
Compaore won 80% of the November 13 vote that saw a fractured opposition fielding 11 candidates against Compaore.
Landlocked Burkina Faso, bordering the Sahara desert in West Africa, is among the world’s poorest countries, with high rates of unemployment and illiteracy.
The country was buffeted for decades by military coups after gaining independence from France in 1960. — Sapa-AP