Presidential elections were held in Burkina Faso on 15 November 1998. They were boycotted by the major opposition parties and resulted in a victory for incumbent president Blaise Compaoré, who was re-elected with 88% of the vote. Voter turnout was 56%.
Background The Burkinabé constitution had previously limited a president to two terms of seven years, but in 1997 the National Assembly amended the constitution to abolish term limits.
The elections were also the first in Burkina Faso to be overseen by an independent electoral commission. Opposition parties had issued a demand for independent oversight in February 1998, with the new commission created in May. Outside observers reported that the elections were generally free and fair, despite the opposition boycott.
Results
Aftermath A month after the elections journalist Norbert Zongo was murdered. His newspaper had recently published articles accusing Compaoré's brother of complicity in the torture and murder of a chauffeur who worked at the Presidential Palace.
Public outrage over Zongo's murder led to a set of governmental reforms including the reinstitution of term limits. The 1998 elections began Compaoré's second term, and in principle should have disqualified him from running in future elections. However, he ran for re-election in 2005, claiming that the term limit changes did not apply retroactively.
Notes
References