Three former relatives of ex-president Blaise Compaoré, overthrown in 2014 after 27 years in power, filed Thursday, October 1 to the Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni) their candidacies for the presidential election of November 22, hoping to take advantage of a sentiment of nostalgia for the old regime.
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Among them, Eddie Komboigo, the president of the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP), a party founded by Blaise Compaoré, and Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, former Premier of Blaise Compaoré, are among the favorites of the ballot, which sees the incumbent president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, himself a former baron of the regime before leaving it, running for a second term.
"We are looking for power to serve the people and not to serve ourselves, after having observed a catastrophic governance after the events of October 30 and 31, 2014,"
said Eddie Komboïgo, a very influential former deputy and reputed to be very close to the Compaoré family.
Under a law banning the candidacy of those who had supported the constitutional amendment desired by Compaoré to stand for re-election, the CDP was denied the ballot in 2015.
Former Prime Minister of Compaoré, Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, candidate of the “Agir ensemble” movement, has also applied.
"This candidacy is an offer of a patriotic contribution for peace and national reconciliation"
, declared this former ambassador to the European Union.
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Another close to Blaise Compaoré candidate: Gilbert Noël Ouédraogo, president of the Alliance for Democracy and the Federation - African Democratic Rally (ADF-RDA), former single party in power until 1990 and which has become the main ally party of Compaoré diet.
He was also excluded from the 2015 presidential election.
"I will tackle insecurity, community crises which are a brake on our living together and for peace and development,"
said Gilbert Ouedraogo, several times minister under Compaoré. .
About ten candidates including President Kaboré have already submitted their files.
Opposition leader Zéphirin Diabré is expected to do so on Friday.
Several opposition groups, including the CDP and Agir Ensemble, have signed an agreement to support, in the event of a second round, the opposition candidate who came first in the first.
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