Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the south west.

Formerly the Republic of Upper Volta , it was renamed on August 4 , 1984 by President Thomas Sankara to mean ‘ the land of upright people ' or ‘ upright land ' in Mossi and Dioula the major native languages of the country

Burkina Faso has a primarily tropical climate with two very distinct seasons. The rainy season lasts approximately 4 months, in May/June to September with between 600 and 900 mm of rainfall. The rest of the year is dry dominated by a hot dry wind from the Sahara desert – The harmattan. The rainy season is shorter in the north of the country. The country covers 274,200 square kilometers.

GOVERNMENT TYPE

The Head of Government is the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the President with the consent of the Parliament. Current Prime Minister: Ernest Paramanga Yonli. The Head of State is the President, who is directly elected by the people. Current President: Blaise Compaore. The President serves for a five-year term with eligibility for a second term.

Burkina Faso has a Parliamentary system with a single-chamber National Assembly of 111 members. Members of Parliament are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. The last General Elections were held in 5 th May 2002 and next are to be held in May 2007.

The last Presidential Election was held 13th November 2005; the next will be held in November 2010. The constitution was amended in April 2000, reducing the presidential term from seven to five years, enforceable as of 2005.The 2005 Presidential Election Results: Blaise Compaore 80.3%; Benewende Stanislas Sankara: 4.9%.The Cabinet, called the Council of Ministers is appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Judiciary includes both a Court of Appeals and a Supreme Court.

POLITICAL PARTIES

The major political parties in Burkina Faso are the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) with an estimated 57% support; African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation (RDA - ADF) with 17% support, Party for Democracy and Progress (PDP) with 10% support; Confederation for Federation and Democracy (CFD) with 5% support; and Party for African Independence ( PAI ) with 5% support. Minor but significant parties are the Union of Greens for the Development of Burkina Faso (UVDB) and Movement for Tolerance and Progress (MTP) .

ANTI-CORRUPTION INSTITUTIONS

Key anti-corruption institutions in Burkina Faso include the following: