Simon Compaoré

Simon Compaoré (born September 19, 1952[1]) is a Burkinabé politician who served as Mayor of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, from 1995 to 2012. He was also a prominent member of the Congress for Democracy and Progress[2] and in 1997 served as its Secretary General.[3] In 2014, he left the CDP and participated in the formation of the People's Movement for Progress. He has served in the government as Minister of State for Territorial Administration and Internal Security since 2016.

Life and career

Compaoré was born in Ouagadougou. He was re-elected as Mayor of Ouagadougou in 2000 and was additionally elected to the National Assembly in the May 2002 parliamentary election. He was re-elected as Mayor in 2005, and he was re-elected to the National Assembly in the May 2007 parliamentary election.[1]

Compaoré, along with a number of other prominent figures in the CDP, announced his resignation from the party on 6 January 2014. Those who resigned said that the party was being run in an undemocratic and damaging manner, and they expressed opposition to plans to amend the constitution to eliminate term limits, which would allow President Blaise Compaoré to stand for re-election in 2015.[4] A new opposition party led by the prominent CDP members who resigned, the People's Movement for Progress (MPP), was founded on 25 January 2014.[5][6] Roch Marc Christian Kaboré was President of the MPP, while Simon Compaoré was its Second Vice-President.[6]

After Kaboré was elected as President of Burkina Faso, Simon Compaoré was appointed to the government as Minister of State for Territorial Administration and Internal Security on 12 January 2016.[7] Within days, he faced a serious security threat when Islamist militants attacked a hotel in Ouagadougou on 15 January.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 Page at petiteacademie.gov.bf (French).
  2. ↑ Reuters
  3. ↑ High Beam
  4. ↑ "Burkina: vague de démissions au sein du parti de Compaoré", Agence France-Presse, 6 January 2014 (French).
  5. ↑ "Roch Marc Christian Kaboré à la tête d'un nouveau parti d'opposition", Jeune Afrique, 26 January 2014 (French).
  6. 1 2 "Blaise wants compromise", Africa Confidential, volume 55, number 3, 7 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Gouvernement Paul K. Thiéba I : Qui sont les nouveaux ministres", Lefaso.net, 14 January 2016 (French).
  8. ↑ "Operation to retake Burkina hotel from Islamists ends: security minister", Reuters, 16 January 2016.


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