OUAGADOUGOU – Burkina Faso will hold elections on December 2 to elect deputies to an increased 127-member parliament from the current 111, the government of the West African nation said on Thursday.
The election, which will coincide with municipal polls, follows a turbulent 2011 for the cotton and gold producing nation, which saw protests and army mutinies over salaries and living conditions that threatened the 25-year rule of President Blaise Compaore.
Compaore’s ruling Congress for Democracy and Progress now holds a majority in the legislature with 57 out of 111 seats.
French smart card maker Gemalto has been selected by the country’s electoral authorities to provide biometric voter registration in a deal worth 11.6 billion CFA francs, according to the government statement.