Burkinabé parliamentary election, 2012

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Parliamentary elections were held in Burkina Faso on 2 December 2012. They were the first elections held since the National Assembly dissolved the National Electoral Commission in 2011, following fraud allegations concerning the 2010 presidential elections. Municipal elections for over 18,000 councillors were held simultaneously. [1] The elections were held amidst a period of political uncertainty, following protests against President Blaise Compaore's regime. [2]

Burkina Faso country in Africa

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It covers an area of around 274,200 square kilometres (105,900 sq mi) and is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north; Niger to the east; Benin to the southeast; Togo and Ghana to the south; and Ivory Coast to the southwest. The July 2018 population estimate by the United Nations was 19,751,651. Burkina Faso is a francophone country, with French as the official language of government and business. Roughly 40% of the population speaks the Mossi language. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta (1958–1984), the country was renamed "Burkina Faso" on 4 August 1984 by then-President Thomas Sankara. Its citizens are known as Burkinabé. Its capital is Ouagadougou.

National Assembly of Burkina Faso parliament of Burkina Faso

The Unicameral National Assembly is Burkina Faso's legislative body. In 1995, it became the lower house of a bicameral Parliament, but the upper house was abolished in 2002. The upper house was to have been restored under the name "Senate" in the June 2012 constitutional amendments. This revision was never executed due to an extended and unresolved political confrontation over the Senate's establishment, which left the country effectively with a unicameral legislature as of the October 2014 constitutional crisis.

Contents

The result was a victory for the ruling Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP), which won 70 of the 127 seats in the National Assembly. [2]

Congress for Democracy and Progress political party in Burkina Faso

The Congress for Democracy and Progress was the ruling political party in Burkina Faso until the overthrow of Blaise Compaoré in the year 2014.

Background

The 2010 presidential elections were criticized by opposition leaders and independent observers for various missteps in democratic practice. Reported issues included the inappropriate influence of traditional leaders, ballot and voting card shortages at polling stations, inaccurate electoral lists and a misappropriation of resources by the state for Compaore's re-election campaign. [3]

Electoral system

The 127 members of the National Assembly were elected for five-year terms, of which 111 were elected in 45 multi-member constituencies ranging in size from two to nine seats, with the remaining 16 elected in a single nationwide constituency. [2] The elections were conducted using closed list proportional representation. [4] Individual candidates won seats based on their position on the party list, the order of which was decided by each party’s leadership. [5]

Closed list describes the variant of party-list proportional representation where voters can (effectively) only vote for political parties as a whole and thus have no influence on the party-supplied order in which party candidates are elected. If voters have at least some influence then it is called an open list.

Proportional representation (PR) characterizes electoral systems in which divisions in an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. If n% of the electorate support a particular political party, then roughly n% of seats will be won by that party. The essence of such systems is that all votes contribute to the result - not just a plurality, or a bare majority. The most prevalent forms of proportional representation all require the use of multiple-member voting districts, as it is not possible to fill a single seat in a proportional manner. In fact, the implementations of PR that achieve the highest levels of proportionality tend to include districts with large numbers of seats.

Opposition parties criticized the government's inability to reliably determine voter eligibility. [2] In response, the government created a biometric voter identification system, and the National Assembly dissolved the existent Electoral Commission. Pryce and Nascimento noted that these steps, along with government campaigns to encourage women's involvement in politics, mark a movement towards sounder political practices in Burkina Faso. [2]

Campaign

Around 3,000 candidates ran in the 45 provincial constituencies, with 74 parties and electoral alliances competed for the 16 national seats. [2]

The CDP was supported by the Alliance for Democracy and Federation – African Democratic Rally, which was still considered an opposition party. The Union for Progress and Change (UPC), formed by a CDP defector, gained attention as a possible challenger to the CDP prior to the election as it protested he party's attempts to lengthen President Compaore’s term via a constitutional amendment that aimed to remove presidential term limits. [2]

Other minor parties emphasized ideological connections to Thomas Sankara, Compaore's predecessor, [2] with four parties considering themselves Sankarist, including the National Council for Rebirth–Sankarist Movement, Pan-African Union for Sankarism–Progressive Movement, Union for Democratic Rebirth–Sankarist Movement and the Union for Rebirth / Sankarist Movement. [2]

Conduct

According to domestic and international observers, efficiency and legitimacy improved in the 2012 elections after the government introduced electoral reforms, though opposition forces claimed the ruling party used state resources in its campaign. [3] The elections were observed by 37 parties, all from 21 members of the African Union. There were also a small number of domestic observers, most associated with non-partisan non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Democratic Governance and the Independent Observatory of Elections. [2]

Bernard Makuza, head of the African Union electoral observer mission, declared the elections free and fair, though he decried public apathy toward the elections, especially in the cities. [6] However, the UPC claimed there was vote rigging in Kadiogo Province, [7] following a delay in reporting ballot counts. [6] UPC campaign director Nathaneal Ouedrego declared his intention to "give proof of fraud and irregularities in Kadiogo in the next days in order to demand pure and simply the cancellation of elections in that province". [7]

Results

Just under 76% of eligible voters participated in the elections, the highest turnout since multi-party politics was reintroduced in 2002, possibly due to the perceived viability of opposition to the CDP. [2] Support in some electoral districts shifted from the CDP to the UPC, leading to a notable decrease in the CDP's popular vote count, although it only lost three seats. [2] The UPC secured as many votes as the ADF–RDA, and more votes than any other opposition party. Overall, thirteen parties won seats.

PartyVotes%Seats
NationalConstituencyTotal+/–
Congress for Democracy and Progress 1,467,74948.6686270–3
Alliance for Democracy and Federation – African Democratic Rally 338,97011.2421618+4
Union for Progress and Reform 334,45311.0921719New
Union for Rebirth / Sankarist Movement 131,5924.361340
Party for Democracy and Socialism/Metba 118,7133.941120
Union for the Republic 92,9353.081350
Convention of Democratic Forces 72,2992.401230
Organisation for Democracy and Labour 62,4792.07011New
National Union for Democracy and Development 43,7951.45011+1
Alternative Faso 40,3101.34011New
Rally for the Development of Burkina 29,1640.97011–1
National Rebirth Party 26,1250.87000–1
National Alliance for Development–Social Justice Party23,7190.79000–
Rally for Democracy and Socialism 23,5040.78011New
Social Forces Front 22,0900.73000–
National Convention for the Progress of Burkina 13,5050.45011New
Rally of the Republicans11,9890.40000–
African Movement of the Peoples11,7020.39000–
Rally of the Ecologists of Burkina 11,5390.38000–
Party for Democracy and Progress / Socialist Party 11,3160.38000–2
Patriotic Party for Development9,3600.31000–
Party of Independence, Labour and Justice 8,1390.27000–
Union for the Democratic Renaissane/Sankarist Movement7,7690.26000–
Independent Party of Burkina 7,5120.25000–
Patriotic Movement for the Renewal of Burkina6,9130.23000–
Party for National Unity and Development5,0930.17000–
National Democratic Convention4,9760.16000–
Rally for Independent Forces/Party of the Youth of Burkina 4,8830.16000–
Alternative Burkina–Party for Socialism and Reformation4,7830.16000–
Union of Centrist Forces4,6230.15000–
Alliance for the Renaissance, Democracy and Integration3,8970.13000–
African Progressive Movement3,8050.13000–
Alliance of Revolutionary Democrats3,7260.12000–
Alliance of Progressive Forces3,5190.12000–
Burkinabé People's Party3,4060.11000–
Movement of the People for Socialism–Federal Party3,2430.11000–
Union of Patriots for Development2,9970.10000–
Union of Democrats for Social Progress2,8070.09000–
National Convention for Reform2,4680.08000–
Union of Progressive Forces2,4360.08000–
Alliance for Democracy of Faso2,0910.07000–
Pro-Democratic Organisation for the Defence of Nature2,0620.07000–
Republican Party for Total Independence1,9620.07000–
Party for the Rebirth of Democracy in Faso1,7400.06000–
Unified Socialist Party 1,4700.05000–
National Union for Independence and Solidarity1,4010.05000–
Party for Progress and National Renewal1,3910.05000–
National Council for the Renaissance–Sankarist Movement1,3150.04000–
National Party of Social Democrats1,3130.04000–
Pan-African Movement of Faso1,2970.04000–
Union for the People's Movement1,2830.04000–
Social Union of Burkina1,1860.04000–
Party of Patriotic Progressives1,1020.04000–
Convention for Democracy and Liberty1,0770.04000–
Union for the Democratic Rebirth of Burkina9360.03000–
Movement for Progress and Reform8700.03000–
People's Council for Action8490.03000–
Patriotic Movement for Alternation8100.03000–
Party of Pan-African Patriots7910.03000–
Patriotic Front for Reform7150.02000–
Greens of Faso6800.02000–
Party for the Protection of the Environment/Nature Conservation6780.02000–
Patriotic Rally of Salvation6710.02000–
Pan-African Union for Sankarism–Progressive Movement6580.02000–
People's Movement for Democracy6560.02000–
Union for Democracy and Development5100.02000–
Alliance for the Republic and Democracy4020.01000–
Patriotic Movement of Democratic Youths3790.01000–
New Political Rally3630.01000–
Union of Democratic Forces of Burkina3590.01000–
Centrist Party for Democracy and Progress3530.01000–
National Union for Democracy and Progress3380.01000–
Union of Democratic Forces and Progressives2810.01000–
Fasocrat Party870.00000–
Invalid/blank votes299,416–––––
Total3,315,79510016111127
Registered voters/turnout4,365,15375.96––––
Source: CENI, Adam Carr

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References

  1. ↑ Burkina Faso Awaits Election Results Voice of Africa, 3 December 2012
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pryce, Paul; Nascimento, Maria Ines (June 2014). "Notes on recent elections: The 2012 parliamentary election in Burkina Faso". Electoral Studies. 34: 338–342. doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2013.08.016 . Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Burkina Faso". Freedom House. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Election Profile IFES
  5. ↑ "Electoral Systems". ACE Project. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Burkina Faso: Parliamentary Elections". Africa Research Bulletin. 49 (12): 19520B–19521A. 24 January 2013. doi:10.1111/j.1467-825X.2013.04842.x . Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Ruling party wins majority in Burkina Faso vote". Thomson Reuters. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
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