Voting has kicked off in Burkina Faso as the country elects a new president and parliament after a year in which turmoil rocked the West African country.
This is the first election since last year’s popular uprising that toppled long serving president Blaise Compaore.
Security is beefed up all across the country, with up to 25,000 troops expected to be deployed.
The vote was due to be held last month but was delayed by a failed coup in September led by members of the elite presidential guard.
This election marks the end of the transitional period following Mr. Compaore’s ouster.
Analysts have predicted this vote to be the most open and democratic poll in the country’s history.
“For the first time in 50 years there is an electoral uncertainty… we don’t know the winner in advance,” said Abdoulaye Soma, head of Burkina Faso’s society of constitutional law.
“This is a positive point and a fundamental change from the other elections that we had seen earlier.”
A transition government was instituted after the ouster of Compaore in October 2014, but the country was thrown into turmoil again in September 2015 when members of the elite presidential guard led a short-lived coup. The attempt failed and the guard was disbanded.
Fourteen candidates are vying for the presidency and reports suggest that Roch Marc Christian Kabore and Zephirin Diabre are the front runners.
