Burkina Faso high court releases final election results, confirms Kabore won presidency

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso _ Burkina Faso’s high court has released final election results, declaring Roch Marc Christian Kabore the president of the West African nation.

constitutional Council chairman Kassoum Kambou said final results from the Nov. 29 polls show Kabore won with 53 per cent of the vote. Zephirin Diabre came in second with 30 per cent. Provisional results announced two weeks ago were similar.

Kabore, 58, will be the country’s second elected civilian president since independence from France in 1960. He will be sworn in Dec. 29, replacing a transitional government put in place after a popular uprising forced President Blaise Compaore to step down last year.

Kabore was a prime minister and parliamentary speaker during Compaore’s 27-year rule. In January 2014, Kabore broke off to form the Movement of People for Progress party.

The Associated Press