Republic of Upper Volta
Burkina Faso, 1958–1984. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Republic of Upper Volta was a landlocked West African country established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing state within the French Community. On 5 August 1960, it gained full independence from France. Although multiparty democracy was nominally restored four years later, Lamizana dominated the country's politics until he was himself overthrown in 1980. After a series of short-term presidencies, Thomas Sankara came to power through yet another military coup d'état on 4 August 1983.
Seat of power: Ouagadougou
Rulers
Maurice Yaméogo
President of Upper Volta, 1960–1966
He proclaimed the independence of the country on 5 August 1960, and also tried (but failed) to create a union between Ivory Coast and Upper Volta. On 3 January 1966, he left the presidency due to a nationwide strike.
Portrait of Maurice Yaméogo: unknown, Service de Presse et d'Information. France., Public domain, file
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Culture
- The three colours of the Upper Volta's national flag are based on the three sections of the Volta, the Black Volta, the White Volta and the Red Volta.
- Shortly after coming to power, Yaméogo banned all political parties other than the UDV-RDA, as a result of a deep authoritarian streak that began prior to his presidency.
- A constitution was ratified the same year, establishing presidential elections by direct universal suffrage and a National Assembly, both with five-year terms.
Picture
Maurice Yaméogo was the first President of the Republic of Upper Volta, now called Burkina Faso.
Image: unknown, Service de Presse et d'Information. France., Public domain, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.