Parliamentary elections were held in Burkina Faso on 11 May 1997, after the National Assembly completed its first full term since independence. [1] The result was a victory for the Congress for Democracy and Progress, which won 101 of the 111 seats in the National Assembly. [2] Voter turnout was just 44.1%. [3]
Following the election, the Supreme Court annulled the results in four constituencies. The election was re-run in those wards on 19 June, all of which were won by the CDP. [2]
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Congress for Democracy and Progress | 1,449,082 | 68.61 | 101 | +8 | |
Party for Democracy and Progress | 213,620 | 10.11 | 6 | New | |
African Democratic Rally | 136,006 | 6.44 | 2 | –4 | |
Alliance for Democracy and Federation | 156,325 | 7.40 | 2 | –2 | |
Burkinabé Socialist Party | 38,005 | 1.80 | 0 | –1 | |
African Independence Party | 31,381 | 1.49 | 0 | –2 | |
Burkinabé Socialist Bloc | 27,493 | 1.30 | 0 | 0 | |
Social Forces Front | 16,597 | 0.79 | 0 | New | |
Group of Patriotic Democrats | 12,652 | 0.60 | 0 | 0 | |
Party for Progress and Social Development | 11,408 | 0.54 | 0 | New | |
Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina | 9,437 | 0.45 | 0 | 0 | |
Movement for Tolerance and Progress | 7,117 | 0.34 | 0 | 0 | |
New Social Democracy | 2,855 | 0.14 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 2,111,978 | 100.00 | 111 | +4 | |
Valid votes | 2,111,978 | 96.18 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 83,887 | 3.82 | |||
Total votes | 2,195,865 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 4,982,621 | 44.07 | |||
Source: Nohlen et al. |
The Politics of Burkina Faso takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. The President of Burkina Faso is the head of state. Executive power is exercised by both the President and the Government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The party system was dominated by the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) until the 2014 Burkinabé uprising. Since then, the CDP has lost influence. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Burkina Faso an "authoritarian regime" in 2022.
The history of Burkina Faso includes the history of various kingdoms within the country, such as the Mossi kingdoms, as well as the later French colonisation of the territory and its independence as the Republic of Upper Volta in 1960.
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