Authorities in Burkina Faso named former foreign
minister Michel Kafando as transitional president
in a key step towards guiding the West African
country to elections in the wake of a brief
military takeover.
Kafando was chosen as part of a charter
hammered out after long time President Blaise
Compaore was toppled on October 31 following
mass protests, only to be replaced a day later
Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida.
Kafando will name a prime minister to appoint a
25-member government, but will be barred from
standing at elections planned for late next year.
“The committee has just designated me to guide
temporarily the destiny of our country. This is
more than an honour. It’s a true mission which I
will take with the utmost seriousness,” Kafando
said on Monday.
Kafando was preferred to the other candidates,
which included journalist Cherif Sy and
sociologist and ex-minister Josephine Ouedraogo.
He was selected by a committee of 23 officials.
The committee, drawn from the army, traditional
and religious groups, civil society and the
political opposition, selected him from among
five candidates after a closed-door meeting that
began on Sunday and went into the early hours,
witnesses said.
Kafando’s appointment will now have to be
ratified by the Constitutional Council.
The African Union gave Zida two weeks to re-
establish civilian rule or face sanctions and on
Saturday he restored the constitution suspended
when Compaore was overthrown.
Compaore was a regional power broker and a
Western ally, but many opposed his efforts to
change the constitution that would have allowed
him to stand for re-election next year and extend
his 27-year rule.
Kafando, 72, was also ambassador of Burkina
Faso at the United Nations and for one year
president of the Security Council, one of several
senior posts he held during Compaore’s
presidency.
His candidacy was proposed by the army.
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