Victory validated.

The Burkinabè Constitutional Council validated, Friday, December 18, the re-election of outgoing president Rock Marc Christian Kaboré in the first round.

With 57.74% of the vote, he will serve a second five-year term at the head of the West African country, despite accusations of irregularities by the opposition.

"The candidate Kaboré Roch Marc Christian is elected president of Faso", declared the president of the Constitutional Council, Kassoum Kambou, during a public hearing, deeming the presidential election of November 22 "regular".

According to the Constitutional Council, President Kaboré "obtained 1,654,229 votes, or 57.74%, slightly less than the 57.87% announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (Céni) on November 26. This difference is explained by the cancellation by the Constitutional Council of the ballots in 200 polling stations, for non-received or non-compliant minutes.

Coming second, the opponent Eddie Komboïgo, candidate of the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) of ex-president Blaise Compaoré, obtained 15.54% of the votes cast (15.84% according to the Ceni).

He is ahead of the former opposition leader Zephirin Diabré, president of the union for progress and change (UPC), which won 12.46% of the vote (same score for the Ceni).

No recourse for a cancellation

The Constitutional Council, which did not register any appeal for annulment of the ballot, noted some "shortcomings and material errors (which) do not affect the regularity, transparency and sincerity of the ballot".

On November 26, as soon as the provisional results were proclaimed by the Ceni, the opposition, which threatened not to recognize the result of the presidential election, denouncing a "massive fraud", had however "taken note" of the re-election of Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.

Several unsuccessful candidates then congratulated President Kaboré, including Zéphirin Diabré.

Eddie Komboïgo, whose party has become the main opposition force in Burkina Faso, had abandoned an appeal against the re-election of President Kaboré in the first round, preferring to wait for the final results before sending congratulations.

Fight against jihadist groups

For his second mandate, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, 63, will have as a priority the heavy task of the fight against the jihadist groups which have plunged into chaos a large part of this country of West Africa, poor and landlocked. 20 million inhabitants, with an economy based on agriculture and mining.

The president was accused of inaction during his first term on this crucial subject.

President Kaboré saw his re-election reinforced by his party's success in the legislative elections (coupled with the presidential election), the People's Movement for Progress (MPP) obtaining 56 seats out of 127 in the National Assembly, according to the provisional results of the Ceni.

However, he will have to come to terms with his allies again to ensure a parliamentary majority, not having obtained a legislative majority on his own.

With AFP

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