Category Archives: Politics

A decent piece summarizing current political situation leading up to 2015, which will be a very interesting transition for Burkina Faso.  Pundits and alarmists will have a field day I am sure.  I think the lesson I draw from watching … Continue reading →

Mais le Burkina n’est pas le Sénégal. La société civile n’y est pas aussi soudée contre le pouvoir – le président jouit du soutien des autorités religieuses et de la chefferie, sans parler du patronat -, et l’opposition n’y a … Continue reading →

D’abord, la création du Sénat permettra de faire participer les collectivités territoriales à l’élaboration des lois. Cette option de faire participer les entités locales rappelle l’esprit du bicaméralisme dans les Etats fédéraux. A cet effet, la représentation des régions se … Continue reading →

Gruesome, but this is the opportunity cost of few books and bad education… Omandibiga Tenihala a été lynchée à mort parce qu’elle a été déclarée sorcière par la population du secteur n° 3 du village de Logobou. Selon la version … Continue reading →

From Afrobarometer.  Majorities against extension of presidential term limits and against creation of the Senate. Selon l’enquête menée en décembre 2012, environ 6 personnes sur 10 sont favorables au principe de la limitation du nombre de mandats présidentiels. Cette proportion … Continue reading →

In the case of Burkina Faso the super-majority CDP packs the house by creating a Senate (which many of them will enjoy the air-conditioned privileges of) and displays some false modesty by stripping away apparently the part that says that … Continue reading →

In December 2011 the National Assembly revised by 3/4 vote the Constitution.  One of the changes was to introduce bicameralism, with a Senate.  Who is in the 90-person Senate? (Well, for starters older people only please… you have to be … Continue reading →

They keep a very, very low personal profile in the press. Neuf juillet 2008. L’antenne française de Transparency International dépose à Paris une plainte pour recel de détournements d’argent public visant les conditions dans lesquelles un important patrimoine immobilier et … Continue reading →

Government of Burkina Faso buying 15 cars for $1.8 million dollars?  What kind of cars are these?  Cadiallac SUVs judging from what I see driving around the big important Ministries… Le premier rapport est relatif à la conclusion d’un contrat … Continue reading →

La concertation a enregistré la présence du Chef de File de l’Opposition Politique au Burkina Faso CFOP.Faisant suite aux échanges fructueux entre les participants sur la problématique de la mise en place du Sénat, les députés ont adopté une déclaration, … Continue reading →

Why do I say that?  A nice article on the opposition parties meeting to coordinate their strategy in the national Assembly (trying to clarify the meaning of official opposition, all that good stuff that political scientists like to talk about).  … Continue reading →

There are many possible reasons for a move like this I suppose, but seems a bit odd, and doesn’t bode well that appears to have happened without groundwork… making him vulnerable to charge of being a bit wacky?  But perhaps … Continue reading →

Lefaso.net starts its own reporting…. nice insider info from Joachim Vokouma: Après recoupements de plusieurs sources, Lefaso.net est en mesure de révéler certains « détails » qui ont fait capoter les discussions. Dès la reconduction du premier ministre, les tractations … Continue reading →

The big fear was that somehow the president’s brother Francois would be elected president of the National Assembly right away.  The post is important because it is next in line to the President of the Republic.  But Ouattara is definitely … Continue reading →

I wish I knew more about what he has in mind, exactly.  Burkina Faso has more divorced people, and kids of divorced parents maybe suffer some psychological traumas… but are those traumas greater than growing up in a home without … Continue reading →