Military,
civilian and religious leaders in Burkina Faso have reached an agreement to
return the country to civilian rule after two weeks of uncertainty. The accord
was agreed to unanimously.
According to Deutsche Welle, nearly
two weeks after the ouster of
President Blaise Compaoré, Burkina Faso's military leadership announced
it had reached an agreement with opposition parties as well as civil and
religious leaders to transition to civilian rule.
"Today was the day of
compromise," said Herve Kam, a member of the civil society group Balai
Citoyen. "Both soldiers and civilians agree on a civilian transition. The
institutions of the transition will be led by civilians.
The various factions
"unanimously voted" for the transition charter, according to Henry
Ye, the president of the commission representing the differing factions in
Burkina Faso.
The charter will return the small
West African nation to civilian rule and provide for elections late next year.
On November 1, Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida proclaimed himself head of state
after violent protests led to the resignation of Compaoré after 27 years in
office.
According to the agreement, a
special electoral college will choose an interim civilian president, who in
turn will appoint a prime minister to head a 25-member transitional government.
The charter also provides for a civilian to head a 90-seat parliament known as
the National Transitional Council
No members of the interim government
will be allowed to stand in the next elections, according to the transition
plan.
Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida
declared himself head of state following Compaoré's ouster, prompting swift
demands for him to return power to civilian authorities
News of the accord was immediately
welcomed by the country's politicians and activists.
"They have succeeded where many
thought they would fail," said opposition leader Adama Kanazoe of the
Youth Alliance for the Defense of the Independence of the Republic." He
added that the agreement was a sign of the nation's "great maturity"
"The revolution is on. Now we
have a real democracy," civil activist Barkissa Konate said.
Lieutenant Colonel Zida had been
under intense pressure to return power to civilian authorities after declaring
himself head of state. The African Union last week gave Burkina Faso a two-week
deadline to return power to the people or face potential punishment.
Zida is expected to enact the
charter within days, according to participants in the negotiations.
"On all the points, even where we had
differences of opinion, among Burkines we have reached a consensus. We have a
charter that will be promulgated very quickly," opposition leader Zephirin
Diabre said after the agreement was reached.
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