The Government of Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Burkina Faso, it was name translates as "Land of the Honest (Incorruptible) Men". The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 13 regions; Boucle du Mouhoun, Cascades, Centre, Centre-Est, Centre-Nord, Centre-Ouest, Centre-Sud, Est, Hauts-Bassins, Nord, Plateau-Central, Sahel, Sud-Ouest

National symbols

White stallion; national colors: red, yellow, green.

The flag

The National flag of Burkina Faso has two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; red recalls the country's struggle for independence, green is for hope and abundance, and yellow represents the country's mineral wealth.

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

The National Anthem

Title	"Le Ditanye" (Anthem of Victory)
Lyric/music	Thomas SANKARA

note: adopted 1974; also known as "Une Seule Nuit" (One Single Night); written by the country's former president, an avid guitar player

More about the government of Burkina Faso

Constitution
Date of Independence	5 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday	Republic Day, 11 December (1958); note - commemorates the day that Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community
Legal system	civil law based on the French model and customary law; in mid-2019, the National Assembly amended the penal code
International law organization participation	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
History	Several previous; latest approved by referendum 2 June 1991, adopted 11 June 1991, temporarily suspended late October to mid-November 2014; initial draft of a new constitution to usher in the new republic was completed in January 2017 and a final draft was submitted to the government in December 2017; a constitutional referendum originally scheduled for adoption in March 2019 was postponed; on 1 March 2022 a transition charter was adopted, allowing military authorities to rule for three years and barring the transitional president from being an electoral candidate after the transition
Amendments	Proposed by the president, by a majority of National Assembly membership, or by petition of at least 30,000 eligible voters submitted to the Assembly; passage requires at least three-fourths majority vote in the Assembly; failure to meet that threshold requires majority voter approval in a referendum; constitutional provisions on the form of government, the multiparty system, and national sovereignty cannot be amended; amended several times
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of Burkina Faso
Dual citizenship recognized	yes
Residency requirement for naturalization	10 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	Transitional President Capt. Ibrahim TRAORE (since 30 September 2022)
Head of government	Prime Minister Joachim KYLEM DE TAMBELA (since 21 October 2022)
Cabinet	prior to the 2022 coups and adhoc suspension of laws and constitutional provisions, Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections/appointments	prior to the 2022 coups and adhoc suspension of laws and constitutional provisions, president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); last held on 22 November 2020 (next were to be held by July 2024, but may be delayed by the transitional government due to security concerns); prime minister appointed by the president with consent of the National Assembly
Election results	2020: Roch Marc Christian KABORE reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Roch Marc Christian KABORE (MPP) 57.9%, Eddie KOMBOIGO (CDP) 15.5%, Zephirin DIABRE (UPC) 12.5%, other 14.1% 2015: Roch Marc Christian KABORE elected president in first round; percent of vote - Roch Marc Christian KABORE (MPP) 53.5%, Zephirin DIABRE (UPC) 29.6%, Tahirou BARRY (PAREN) 3.1%, Benewende Stanislas SANKARA (UNIR-MS) 2.8%, other 10.9%
Legislative branch
Description	Prior to the 2022 coups and ad hoc suspension of laws and constitutional provisions, unicameral National Assembly (127 seats; 111 members directly elected in 13 multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote and 26 members elected in a nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms); 71-member Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT) appointed by the military junta in 2022 indefinitely replaced the National Assembly
Elections	Last held on 22 November 2020 (next were to be held by July 2024 but have been delayed by the transitional government due to security concerns)
Election results	Percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition as of March 2024 - men 59, women 12, percentage women 16.9%
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (consists of NA judges); Council of State (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (consists of the council president and 9 members)
Judge selection and term of office	Supreme Court judge appointments mostly controlled by the president of Burkina Faso; judges have no term limits; Council of State judge appointment and tenure NA; Constitutional Council judges appointed by the president of Burkina Faso upon the proposal of the minister of justice and the president of the National Assembly; judges appointed for 9-year terms with one-third of membership renewed every 3 years
Subordinate courts	Appeals Court; High Court; first instance tribunals; district courts; specialized courts relating to issues of labor, children, and juveniles; village (customary) courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Edouard BOUDA (since 1 February 2024)
Chancery	2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone	[1] (202) 332-5577
FAX	[1] (202) 667-1882
Email address and website	[email protected] https://burkina-usa.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Joann M. LOCKARD (since 28 June 2024)
Embassy	Secteur 15, Ouaga 2000, Avenue Sembene Ousmane, Rue 15.873, Ouagadougou
Mailing address	2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20521-2440
Telephone	(226) 25-49-53-00
FAX	(226) 25-49-56-23
Email address and website	[email protected] https://bf.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	3 (2 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Ruins of Loropéni (c); Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites (c); W-Arly-Pendjari Complex (n)