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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Burkina Opposition in Mass Rally against Extending President's Mandate |
| 2014-06-01 |
| [An Nahar] Tens of thousands of people Saturday answered a call by Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other... 's opposition to protest against any move by President Blaise Compaore to get a fifth term in office. Crowds poured into the largest stadium in Ouagadougou, filling it to its 35,000 capacity, voicing their anger against any move by the 63-year-old to extend his decades-long hold on power in the landlocked nation. Compaore, an often controversial titan of west African politics, has hinted he may seek a referendum to extend his 26-year reign in 2015 polls, despite a two-term constitutional limit. But shouts of "No to the referendum" and "We are tired, the big baobab must fall" -- in reference to the species of large African tree that can live for centuries -- echoed around the arena. "It's a historic mobilization... The stadium is full from top to bottom," said opposition leader Zephirin Diabre. People have "turned out en masse" to show that "from now on, change is no longer a dream. Change is here and now," said Benewende Sankara, president of the Union for Rebirth/Sankarist Movement party, one of 30 opposition parties at the rally. Anger has been growing against a planned vote on whether to modify Burkina Faso's constitution, which limits the president to a maximum of two five-year terms in office and which would have prevented Compaore from extending his 26-year reign. |
| Posted by:Fred |