Burkina Faso’s President Blaise Compaore forced to step down after 27 years
As army chief takes power after bloody protests, Compaore says elections will be held in 90 days
Burkina Faso's president, Blaise Compaore, stepped down last night after 27 years in power following a wave of protests against his rule. He said elections for a new leader would be held in 90 days.
The announcement, read out on state television, was a sharp about-face from Thursday when Compaore vowed to hold power through next year, after protesters stormed the parliament.
The West African nation's armed forces chief General Honore Traore said that he had taken charge.
"France welcomes the resignation of the president of Burkina Faso which allows for a way out of the crisis," Hollande's office said.
For months, an opposition coalition has been urging Compaore not to seek re-election next year, in what would have been his fifth term in power. But Compaore, who seized power in a military coup in 1987, and his ruling party looked set to push a bill through parliament on Thursday that would have allowed him to run again.