Burkina Faso: Military transfers power to interim president
On November 21, Lieutenant Colonel Issac Zida, the military officer who took power after Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore was overthrown, officially transferred power to civilian President Michel Kafando.
At a ceremony held at a stadium in the capital Ouagadougou, witnessed by six African leaders including Mauritania, currently chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Lieutenant Colonel Zida presented the flag of Burkina Faso to President Kafando.
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| Civilian President Michel Kafando (left) and Burkina Faso's military leader. (Source: AFP/ VNA) |
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Kafando pledged not to let the nation of 17 million people become "a dependent economy."
Previously, on November 17, the Burkina Faso military government appointed Mr. Michel Kafando as interim President, leading the country until 2015.
Under an agreement between opposition parties, military representatives, civil society groups and religious leaders in Burkina Faso, President Kafando will appoint a prime minister to run the transitional government.
The 90-seat National Transitional Council, also known as the National Transitional Council, will be run by a civilian representative. Under the agreement, no member of the transitional government will be allowed to run in the general election scheduled for November 2015.
Diplomatic sources said that interim Prime Minister Zida, who was appointed on November 19, is expected to appoint military officials to key positions such as defense, finance and civil affairs in the 25-member cabinet on November 22./.
According to VNA
