age: universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October
1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Kadre Desire OUEDRAOGO (since 6
February 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
the president may serve unlimited terms; election last held 15
November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by
the president with the consent of the legislature
election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president with 88% percent
of the vote, with 56% of voter turnout
note: despite his reelection, President COMPAORE faces a growing
political crisis due to his mishandling of an investigation into the
assassination of a newspaper editor and pressure for political reform

Legislative branch: bicameral; consists of a National Assembly or
Assemblee des Deputes Populaires (ADP) (111 seats; members are elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the purely consultative
Chamber of Representations or Chambre des Representants (178 seats;
members are appointed to serve three-year terms)
elections: National Assembly election last held 11 May 1997 (next to
be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDP
101, PDP 6, RDA 2, ADF 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Appeals Court

Political parties and leaders: African Democratic Rally or RDA [Gerard
Kango OUEDRAOGO, Clement SANOU]; Alliance for Democracy and Federation
or ADF ; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP
; Group for Progressive Democrats or GDP [Issa
TIENDREBEOGO]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP
; Party for African Independence or PAI
; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Joseph
KI-ZERBO]; Party for Progress and Social Development or PPDS [leader
NA]; Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina Faso or UVDB [Ram
OVEDRAGO]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Burkinabe General Confederation
of Labor or CGTB; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or HBDHP; Group
of 14 February; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB;
National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; watchdog/political
action groups throughout the country in both organizations and
communities

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IDB, IFA