Thirteen presidential candidates race for Burkinabè palace

By Our Correspondent, OUAGADOUGOU Burkina Faso

Less than a week before D-Day, the electoral campaign is in full swing. Roch March Kristian Kaboré, elected in 2015 after the insurrection that drove Blaise Compaoré from the presidency, will once again seek the votes of his compatriots.

If he is the favorite in this election, the outgoing president will still have to fight hard to convince his fellow citizens who are very affected by the deterioration of the security situation since coming to power.

And it is precisely on this question that some candidates intend to rely in particular to abuse him. Among them is Zéphirin Diabré, leader of the opposition, who came second in the 2015 presidential election.

The former Minister of Economy and Finance of the 90s, in the Kaboré government, is the leader of the Union for Progress and Change (UPC) created in 2010. He promises a revolution in three sectors: industry, agriculture and education.

Originally from the province of Zoundwéogo (center-south), this former international civil servant, 61, stood out in 2015 by his opposition to the amendment of article 37 of the Constitution which was to allow Compaoré to remain in the power.

Two other participants in the 2015 presidential election will also try their luck again. They are Tahirou Barry and Ablassé Ouedraogo. The first, ranked third five years ago with 3% of the votes cast, had slammed the door of President Kaboré's first government. At 45, this lawyer by training hopes to profit from this political act, especially in the Sahel area where he comes from.

Ablassé Ouedraogo is, for his part, presented as the most experienced of all. Indeed, the former Deputy Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has a rich international career behind him. At 67, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs is aiming for the presidential chair for the second time.

Excluded from the race in 2015 for having supported the constitutional amendment project wanted by Blaise Compaoré, Eddie Komboïgo, president of the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP), the former ruling party, and Gilbert Noël Ouédraogo de the Alliance pour la Démocratie et la Fédération-Rassemblement Démocratique (ADF / RDA) are making their comeback.

Businessman, Mr. Komboïgo managed to win against the caciques of the CDP. Thanks to his significant financial resources, the founder of the accounting firm Kafec-KA dreams of a destiny for Patrice Talon (president of Benin). To do this, the solid establishment of his party is a major asset.

Figure of the dissident wing of the CDP, Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo has sharpened his weapons in the institutions of the sub-region since he was vice-governor of the Central Bank of West African States (Bceao) and President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The Agir Ensemble candidate also served as Prime Minister in his country.

In exile in Canada since 2016, Yacouba Isaac Zida is also in the running. The former Prime Minister of the transition is under an arrest warrant for " desertion in peacetime and refusal of obedience ". In his absence, the cadres of the People's Movement for Salvation (MPS) intend to work for his victory.

Some novices will try to play the spoilsport. This is the case of Do Pascal Sessouma, president of Burkina vision. This former journalist from Radio-Television of Burkina Faso (RTB, public) and Télé Québec (Canada) proposes a social project that places the citizen at the heart of his concerns.

For his part, Claude Aimé Tassembedo is the only independent candidate. Originally from Bobo-Dioulasso, the economic capital of the country, since 2007 he has managed a Human Resources consulting firm called Africa Knowledge.

Ségui Ambroise Farama wears the colors of the Organization of African Peoples-Burkina Faso (Opa-BF). This lawyer by training says to embody the rupture and aims to give substance to Pan-Africanism.

Abdoulaye Soma, leader of Soleil d'Avenir, is the youngest of the applicants. At 41, the constitutional lawyer relies on the vote of young people to distinguish himself.

Finally, Monique Yeli Kam of the Mouvement pour la Renaissance du Burkina (MRF) is the only woman in the presidential race. She promises, if elected, to reduce inequalities through an educational policy. - Africa