List of heads of state of Burkina Faso

The president of Burkina Faso (Template:Langx) is the head of state of Burkina Faso as well as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso. It is the highest office in Burkina Faso and has significant executive power, including appointing the prime minister and other government officials. The president also have the power to dissolve parliament and issue decrees.

The office was first established in August 1960 as president of Upper Volta (Template:Langx) after the country gained independence from France. Maurice Yaméogo was the first holder of that office. On 4 August 1984, the day before the 24th anniversary of independence, Thomas Sankara, who was the president from exactly one year earlier, became the president of Burkina Faso after the country changed its name the same day.

A total of seven people have served as president of Upper Volta/Burkina Faso (not counting four transitional heads of state/presidents and one acting president in rebellion).

The current interim president is Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, who took power during a coup d'état on 30 September 2022.<ref name="Ndiaga Mimault">Template:Cite web</ref>

Term of office

The president is elected directly to a five-year term. Following amendments in the constitution in 2000, the president should serve no more than two terms even though the term limit has not been met by any president yet.<ref name="termlimits">Template:Cite web</ref>

Titles

• 1960–1980: President of the Republic
• 1980–1982: President of Military Committee of Recovery for National Progress
• 1982: Chairman of Provisional Committee of Popular Salvation
• 1982–1983: Head of State
• 1983–1987: Chairman of National Revolutionary Council and Head of State
• 1987–1991: President of Popular Front and Head of State
• 1991–2014: President of the Republic
• 2015: Chairman of National Council for Democracy
• 2015–2022: President of the Republic
• 2022–present: President of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration
• 2022–present: President of the Republic

List of officeholders

Political parties

Other factions

Status

Template:Abbr	Portrait	Name Template:Small	Elected	Term of office			Political party		Prime minister(s)
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
Republic of Upper Volta
1		Maurice Yaméogo Template:Small	1959 1965	Template:Nowrap 1960	Template:Nowrap 1966 Template:Small	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	UDV–RDA	Position not established
2		Sangoulé Lamizana Template:Small	1978	Template:Nowrap 1966	Template:Nowrap 1980 Template:Small	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Military / Independent	Ouédraogo Himself Conombo
3		Saye Zerbo Template:Small	—	Template:Nowrap 1980	Template:Nowrap 1982 Template:Small	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Military	Himself
4		Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo Template:Small	—	Template:Nowrap 1982	Template:Nowrap 1983 Template:Small	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Military	Sankara
5		Thomas Sankara Template:Small	—	Template:Nowrap 1983	Template:Nowrap 1984	Template:Age in years year	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Military	Position abolished
Burkina Faso
Template:Small		Thomas Sankara Template:Small	—	Template:Nowrap 1984	Template:Nowrap 1987 Template:Small	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Military	Position abolished
6		Blaise Compaoré Template:Small	1991 1998 2005 2010	Template:Nowrap 1987	Template:Nowrap 2014 Template:Small	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap	Y. Ouédraogo Kaboré K. D. Ouédraogo Yonli Zongo Tiao
–		Honoré Traoré Template:Small Template:Small	—	Template:Nowrap 2014	Template:Nowrap 2014	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Military	Position vacant
–		Yacouba Isaac Zida Template:Small	—	Template:Nowrap 2014	Template:Nowrap 2014	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Military Template:Small	Position vacant
–		Michel Kafando Template:Small	—	Template:Nowrap 2014	Template:Nowrap 2015 Template:Small	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Independent	Zida
–		Gilbert Diendéré Template:Small	—	Template:Nowrap 2015	Template:Nowrap 2015 Template:Small	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Military Template:Small	Position vacant
–		Chérif Sy Template:Small	—	Template:Nowrap 2015	Template:Nowrap 2015	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Independent	Position vacant
–		Michel Kafando Template:Small	—	Template:Nowrap 2015 Template:Small	Template:Nowrap 2015	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Independent	Zida
7		Roch Marc Christian Kaboré Template:Small	2015 2020	Template:Nowrap 2015	Template:Nowrap 2022 Template:Small	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	MPP	Thieba Dabiré L. Zerbo
–		Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba Template:Small	–	Template:Nowrap 2022	Template:Nowrap 2022 Template:Small	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Military	Ouédraogo
–		Ibrahim Traoré Template:Small	–	Template:Nowrap 2022	Incumbent	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color;" |	Military	Tambèla J. E. Ouédraogo

Timeline

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 id:cdp    value:rgb(0.9,0.2,0.11)   legend:Congress_for_Democracy_and_Progress
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bar:Yameogo
bar:Lamizana
bar:Zerbo
bar:Ouedraogo
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bar:Yameogo
 from: 05/08/1960 till: 03/01/1966 color:rda    text:"Maurice Yaméogo"
bar:Lamizana
 from: 03/01/1966 till: 27/11/1977 color:mil
 from: 27/11/1977 till: 25/11/1980 color:ind    text:"Sangoulé Lamizana"
bar:Zerbo
 from: 25/11/1980 till: 07/11/1982 color:mil    text:"Saye Zerbo"
bar:Ouedraogo
 from: 08/11/1982 till: 04/08/1983 color:mil    text:"Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo"
bar:Sankara
 from: 04/08/1983 till: 15/10/1987 color:mil    text:"Thomas Sankara"
bar:Compaore
 from: 15/10/1987 till: 01/04/1989 color:mil
 from: 01/04/1989 till: 06/02/1996 color:odp-mt 
 from: 06/02/1996 till: 31/10/2014 color:cdp    text:"Blaise Compaoré"
bar:HTraore
 from: 31/10/2014 till: 01/11/2014 color:mil    text:"Honoré Traoré (interim)"
bar:Zida
 from: 01/11/2014 till: 18/11/2014 color:mil    text:"Yacouba Isaac Zida (interim)"
bar:Kafando
 from: 18/11/2014 till: 17/09/2015 color:ind 
 from: 23/09/2015 till: 29/12/2015 color:ind    text:"Michel Kafando (interim)"
bar:Diendere
 from: 17/09/2015 till: 23/09/2015 color:mil    text:"Gilbert Diendéré"
bar:Sy
 from: 17/09/2015 till: 23/09/2015 color:ind    text:"Chérif Sy (disputed)"
bar:Kabore
 from: 29/12/2015 till: 24/01/2022 color:mpp    text:"Roch Marc Christian Kaboré"
bar:Damiba
 from: 24/01/2022 till: 30/09/2022 color:mil    text:"Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba (interim)"
bar:ITraore
 from: 30/09/2022 till: $today     color:mil    text:"Ibrahim Traoré (interim)"

</timeline>

Latest election

Template:Main {{#section-h:2020 Burkinabé general election|President}}

See also

• Politics of Burkina Faso
• List of prime ministers of Burkina Faso
• List of colonial governors of French Upper Volta

External links

• Presidency
• World Statesmen – Burkina Faso