BURKINA FASO DECIDES

Burkina Faso's former Prime Minister Roch Marc Kabore appeared to have a strong lead as results came in from Sunday's presidential election, the first election since long-serving ruler Blaise Compaore's forced resignation last year, Reuters news agency reports.

Mr Kabore was once allied with Mr Compaore

Provisional results from around 41% of the West African nation's communes showed that Mr Kabore had 54% of the vote against 29% for Zephirin Diabre, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission, it reports.

Mr Kabore was prime minister and president of the National Assembly during Mr Compaore's rule, while Mr Diabre was minister of finance in the 1990s.

Mr Compaore was toppled by an uprising in October 2014 after 27 years in power.

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The Sphere

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