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Burkina Faso kicks off presidential vote amid serenity

Xinhua, November 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Polling stations on Sunday opened nationwide in Burkina Faso for the presidential and general elections that are expected to restore democratic order and provide the West African country with new legitimate authorities.

Polling has been going on peacefully apart from deficiencies at some polling stations due to lack of electoral equipments.

In Ouagadougou, the capital city, and many localities, long queues of voters are observed.

Over 5.5 million Burkinabes are expected to cast their votes to choose a new president and 127 members of parliament.

Among them were many young men who voted for the first time to fulfill their civic duties and chose the new president from among fourteen candidates in competition.

"I am here since 5 a.m ... and on my arrival , there were only two persons before me. I am determined to cast my vote", said Tahirou Kone, a 20-year-old student.

"This election is a capital for our future. We chased Blaise Compaore from power and we must show the world that we were not mistaken", said Gisele Tapsoba, a voter and mother bearing a child on her back.

Candidate Roch Marc Christian Kabore is one of the favorites in competition. Just after casting his vote at Patte d'Oie primary school in Ouagadougou, nearby his residence, he said he was "confident" and "serene" for victory.

"It is a landmark day", Mr. Kabore said, adding that he has voted " with a sense of pride and serenity as well as of hope for the future of Burkina Faso".

Mr. Kabore said that the current polling will provide the country, since its independence in 1960, with a civilian president for the first time.

The other challenger, the 55-year-old economist Zephirin Diabre , leader of Union for Change and Progress (UPC), also expressed his confidence to win the election.

"My state of mind of a winner is reinforced by excitement my social project generated in 45 provinces of Burkina Faso," Mr. Diabre said, just after casting his vote.

The election came after President Blaise Compaore's resignation in October 2014 amid popular insurrection against his attempt to stand for a new term after 27 years on power.

The elections, originally scheduled to take place on Oct. 11, were delayed after a coup attempt in September by presidential guards loyal to former President Blaise Compaore to overturn the interim government. Endit