Presidential elections were held in Burkina Faso on 15 November 1998. They were boycotted by the major opposition parties and resulted in a victory for incumbent president Blaise Compaoré, who was re-elected with 88% of the vote. Voter turnout was 56%.[1][2]
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15 November 1998
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Background
editThe Burkinabé constitution had previously limited a president to two terms of seven years, but in 1997 the National Assembly amended the constitution to abolish term limits.[1][2]
The elections were also the first in Burkina Faso to be overseen by an independent electoral commission. Opposition parties had issued a demand for independent oversight in February 1998, with the new commission created in May. Outside observers reported that the elections were generally free and fair, despite the opposition boycott.[3]
Results
edit| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaise Compaoré | Congress for Democracy and Progress | 1,996,151 | 87.53 | |
| Ram Ouédraogo | Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina | 150,796 | 6.61 | |
| Frédéric Guirma | Rejectors Front – African Democratic Rally | 133,552 | 5.86 | |
| Total | 2,280,499 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 2,280,499 | 96.23 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 89,458 | 3.77 | ||
| Total votes | 2,369,957 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 4,226,358 | 56.08 | ||
| Source: Nohlen et al.[2][a] | ||||
Aftermath
editA month after the elections journalist Norbert Zongo was murdered. His newspaper had recently published articles accusing Compaoré's brother of complicity in the torture and murder of a chauffeur who worked at the Presidential Palace.[4]
Public outrage over Zongo's murder led to a set of governmental reforms including the reinstitution of term limits. The 1998 elections began Compaoré's second term, and in principle should have disqualified him from running in future elections. However, he ran for re-election in 2005, claiming that the term limit changes did not apply retroactively.[1]
Notes
edit- ↑ The total number of valid votes (2,280,496) reported by the electoral commission was three less than the total votes received by each candidate
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Compaore's decision to bid for re-election raises opposition hackles". The New Humanitarian. 11 August 2005. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 Dieter Nohlen; Michael Krennerich; Bernhard Thibaut (1999). Elections in Africa: A data handbook. Oxford University Press. pp. 126–130. ISBN 0-19-829645-2.
- ↑ Polity5 Regime Narratives: Burkina Faso (PDF). Center for Systemic Peace. 2018. p. 2. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
- ↑ Keita, Mohamed (14 December 2010). "In Norbert Zongo case, 12 years of impunity". Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 21 April 2026.