Congress for Democracy and Progress

The Congress for Democracy and Progress (French: Congrès pour la Démocratie et le Progrès, CDP) was the ruling political party in Burkina Faso until the overthrow of Blaise Compaoré in the year 2014.

Congress for Democracy and Progress

Congrès pour la Démocratie et le Progrès
LeaderEddie Komboïgo
FounderBlaise Compaoré
Founded6 February 1996
IdeologySocial democracy[lower-alpha 1][1]
Authoritarianism
National Assembly
18 / 127
  1. Self-described
Headquarters of the party in Ouagadougou

History

The party was founded in February 1996 by merger of the Organization for Popular Democracy – Labour Movement and nine parties supportive of it (the National Convention of Progressive Patriots–Social Democratic Party, the Party for Democracy and Rally, the Movement for Socialist Democracy, the Union of Social Democrats, the Group of Revolutionary Democrats, the Rally of Social-Democrat Independents, the Party for Panafricanism and Unity, the Union of Democrats and Patriots of Burkina and the Party of Action for the Liberalism in Solidarity), as well as factions of the Group of Patriotic Democrats and the Burkinabé Socialist Bloc.[2]

From 1992, when the office of Prime Minister was reestablished, until the Blaise Compaoré was ousted in 2014, all Prime Ministers of Burkina Faso were members of the CDP, along with most other national officials, and the party held the most seats in Parliament.

In the parliamentary election held on 5 May 2002, the party won 49.5% of the popular vote and 57 out of 111 seats.

In the 13 November 2005 presidential election, the CDP candidate, President Compaoré, won 80.35% of the popular vote. At the May 2007 parliamentary election, the party expanded its majority, winning 73 seats.

In 2012, Assimi Kouanda was elected as the CDP's National Executive Secretary.

The party still had representation in parliament after the overthrow of Compaoré in October 2014, and remains represented following the November 2015 general elections.

The CDP held its sixth ordinary congress in Ouagadougou on 9–10 May 2015. Eddie Komboïgo, a businessman who had been a Deputy in the National Assembly prior to its 2014 dissolution, was elected as President of the CDP, while Compaoré was designated as Honorary President.[3] On 11 July 2015, Komboïgo was designated as the CDP's candidate for the October 2015 presidential election.[4][5] Komboïgo was subsequently barred from standing, and the CDP had no presidential candidate; however, it won 18 out of 127 seats in the concurrent parliamentary election.[6] Meanwhile, party leaders were accused of involvement in the failed September 2015 coup, leading to the arrest of Komboïgo as well as a party vice-president, Léonce Koné.[7] Together with various other opposition parties, the CDP formed the Coalition for Democracy and National Reconciliation on 16 October 2016; seeking to promote political reconciliation, it was mostly composed of forces that had backed Compaoré. The coalition stood in opposition to President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and the ruling People's Movement for Progress (MPP), but it was distinct from the main opposition coalition, the Coalition of Democratic Forces for Real Change led by Zéphirin Diabré.[8]

On 19 April 2017, the CDP criticized the forthcoming trial of Compaoré (in absentia) and members of his government in connection with efforts to suppress the October 2014 protests that led to the fall of the government. According to the CDP, the trial was a politically motivated "witch hunt" and "a clear violation of the rule of law".[9]

Electoral history

Presidential elections
Election Party candidate Votes % Result
1998 Blaise Compaoré 1,996,151 87.5% Elected Y
2005 1,660,148 80.35% Elected Y
2010 1,358,941 80.2% Elected Y

National Assembly elections
Election Votes % Seats +/– Position
1997 1,449,082 68.6%
101 / 111
 8 1st
2002 862,119 49.52%
57 / 111
 44 1st
2007 1,373,078 58.85%
73 / 111
 16 1st
2012 1,467,749 48.66%
70 / 128
 3 1st
2015 417,058 13.20%
18 / 127
 52 3rd
gollark: I am gollark.
gollark: Tuesday (ethical).
gollark: I MAY join in the past or future.
gollark: It does say this.
gollark: Maybe it needs a logo.

References
  1. "STATUTS du Congrès pour la Démocratie et le Progrès". Congrès pour la Démocratie et le Progrès (in French). August 2003. Archived from the original on 14 June 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  2. Lawrence Rupley, Lamissa Bangali & Boureima Diamitani (2013) Historical Dictionary of Burkina Faso, Rowman & Littlefield, p44
  3. Benjamin Roger, "Burkina : le CDP se choisit un nouveau président proche de Compaoré", Jeune Afrique, 10 May 2015 (in French).
  4. Benjamin Roger, "Burkina : Eddie Komboïgo sera le candidat du CDP à la présidentielle", Jeune Afrique, 10 July 2015 (in French).
  5. "Burkina: le CDP investit Eddie Komboïgo pour la présidentielle", Radio France Internationale, 11 July 2015 (in French).
  6. Patrick Fort and Romaric Ollo Hien, "Burkina president-elect's party tops legislative poll, no majority", Agence France-Presse, 2 December 2015.
  7. Benjamin Roger, "Burkina Faso : le CDP est-il fini ?", Jeune Afrique, 8 June 2016 (in French).
  8. "Burkina : nouvelle coalition de l’opposition pour la « réconciliation »", Jeune Afrique, 16 October 2016 (in French).
  9. "Burkina : le procès de Blaise Compaoré et de ses ministres est un « règlement de comptes », selon l’ex-parti au pouvoir", Jeune Afrique, 19 April 2017 (in French).
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