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Burkina Faso opposition reject Zida

November 1, 2014

A coalition of opposition parties in Burkina Faso has warned against Isaac Zida's leadership and called for a mass rally in the capital, Ouagadougou. The move follows protests throughout the country that turned violent.

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Issaac Zida (center)
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Theo Renaut

Following an announcement on Saturday from Burkina Faso's military, confirming Lieutenant-Colonel Isaac Yacouba Zida as the country's leader during the transition period, opposition parties and civil society organizations have rejected the army's takeover.

In a statement, they warned the military against enacting a coup, demanding instead a "democratic and civilian transition."

"The political opposition and civil society organizations reaffirm that the victory from the popular uprising - and consequently the management of the transition - belongs to the people and should not in any way be confiscated by the army," they said in a statement issued following talks on Saturday.

"Our consultation reaffirmed that this transition should be democratic and civilian in character," it said.

They also called for a new mass rally in the capital, Ouagadougou, on Sunday at the site where over a million people gathered earlier this week to demand the resignation of former President Blaise Compaore.

'Smooth democratic transition'

Burkina Faso's army announced Zida's leadership just a day after Compaore stepped down on Friday after 27 years in office. The unanimously elected Zida had been vying for leadership against General Honore Traore, who was considered to be a close ally of Compaore.

Zida, the second in command of the presidential guard, said he had assumed "the responsibilities of head of the transition and of head of state" to ensure a "smooth democratic transition" but said the "length and makeup of the transitional body will be decided later."

Violent protests

Compaore's resignation came after days of street protests against the president, following the news that he was seeking to get parliament to amend Burkina Faso's constitution to allow him to run for a fifth term in office.

On Thursday, the protests turned violent with demonstrators storming parliament and setting the building on fire.

Compaore had led Burkina Faso since taking power in a 1987 coup. He has been elected four times since then, but the opposition has disputed the results.

ksb/glb (Reuters, AFP)