The Republic of Upper Volta was a landlocked West African country established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing state within the French Community. Before becoming autonomous, it had been part of the French Union as the French Upper Volta. On 5 August 1960, it gained full independence from France. On 4 August 1984, it changed its name to Burkina Faso.
Aboubakar Sangoulé Lamizana was an Upper Voltan military officer who served as the President of Upper Volta, in power from 3 January 1966, to 25 November 1980. He held the additional position of Prime Minister from 8 February 1974, to 7 July 1978.
The African Democratic Rally is a political party in Burkina Faso. It was originally known as the Voltaic Democratic Union-African Democratic Rally (UDV-RDA) and was formed in 1957 as the Voltaic section of the African Democratic Rally (RDA).
Maurice Nawalagmba Yaméogo was the first President of the Republic of Upper Volta, now called Burkina Faso, from 1960 until 1966.
The Rassemblement Démocratique Africain, commonly known as the RDA and variously translated as African Democratic Assembly and African Democratic Rally, was a political party in French West Africa and French Equatorial Africa which was important in the decolonization of the French empire. The RDA was composed of different political parties throughout the French colonies in Africa and lasted from 1946 until 1958. At certain points, the RDA was the largest political party in the colonies in Africa and played a key role in the French government headed by the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance (UDSR). Although the regional party largely dissolved in 1958 with the independence votes for the colonies, many of the national parties retained the RDA in their name and some continue to do so. The political ideology of the party did not endorse outright secession of colonies from France, but it was anti-colonial and pan-Africanist in its political stances.
The Mali Federation was a federation in West Africa linking the French colonies of Senegal and the Sudanese Republic for two months in 1960. It was founded on 4 April 1959 as a territory with self-rule within the French Community and became independent after negotiations with France on 20 June 1960. Two months later, on 19 August 1960, the Sudanese Republic leaders in the Mali Federation mobilized the army, and Senegal leaders in the federation retaliated by mobilizing the gendarmerie ; this resulted in a tense stand-off, and led to the withdrawal from the federation by Senegal the next day. The Sudanese Republic officials resisted this dissolution, cut off diplomatic relations with Senegal, and defiantly changed the name of their country to Mali. For the brief existence of the Mali Federation, the premier was Modibo Keïta, who would later become the first President of Mali, and its government was based in Dakar, the eventual capital of Senegal.
Joseph Ki-Zerbo was a Burkinabé historian, politician and writer. He is recognized as one of Africa's foremost thinkers.
The Republican Party for Liberty was a political party in Upper Volta. The PRL was founded in 1959 by Nazi Boni as a reaction to the attempts by the Voltaic Democratic Union to create a one-party state. Boni built his new party largely out of the ashes of the defunct African Regroupment Party (PRA).
Unified Democratic Party, was, despite its name, not a political party but an electoral alliance of two parties, the Voltaic Democratic Party (PDV-RDA) and the Social Party for the Emancipation of the African Masses (PSEMA), ahead of the 1957 territorial assembly elections in Upper Volta. PDU won 33 out of 70 seats.
Party of Independents, was a political party in Upper Volta, formed through a split in the Voltaic Democratic Union (UDV-RDA). The party contested the 1970 elections.
The Voltaic Democratic Movement was a political party in Upper Volta, led by Gérard Kango Ouédraogo. MDV was founded in 1955.
Gérard Kango Ouédraogo was a Burkinabé statesman and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Upper Volta from 13 February 1971 to 8 February 1974. He was subsequently President of the National Assembly of Upper Volta from October 1978 to November 25, 1980.
Upper Volta was a colony of French West Africa established in 1919 in the territory occupied by present-day Burkina Faso. It was formed from territories that had been part of the colonies of Upper Senegal and Niger and the Côte d'Ivoire. The colony was dissolved on 5 September 1932, with parts being administered by the Côte d'Ivoire, French Sudan and the Colony of Niger.
Joseph Ouédraogo was a Burkinabé trade unionist and politician, active during the last years of the French Upper Volta and subsequently in the Republic of Upper Volta.
Presidential elections were held for the first time in the Republic of Upper Volta on 3 October 1965, as previously the President had been appointed by the National Assembly. At the time, the country was a one-party state, with the Voltaic Democratic Union–African Democratic Rally (UDV–RDA) as the sole legal party. Its leader, Maurice Yaméogo, was the only candidate, and was re-elected with 100% of the vote. Voter turnout was 98.4%.
The African Regroupment Party was a political party in the French African colonies.
Christophe Kalenzaga was a politician from Burkina Faso who was elected for French Upper Volta to the French Senate in 1948. On November 14, 1948, he was elected, on May 18, 1952, and June 8, 1958, reelected. On July 15, 1959, his mandate ended due to the Termination of mandate pursuant to Order No. 58-974 of October 17, 1958, relating to the provisional operation of public authorities. From February 21, 1964, till 1967 he was Ambassador of the Republic of Upper Volta to Bonn.
The Voltaic Democratic Party–African Democratic Rally was a political party in French Upper Volta.
