ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief historical background and a description of major events in Burkina. It also provides basic political, economic, and social data arranged in the following categories: polity, economy, population, purchasing power parities, life expectancy, ethnic groups, capital, political rights, civil liberties, and status. The chapter discusses the progress and decline of political rights and civil liberties in Burkina. Burkina Faso is one of the world's poorest countries, although gains have been made in life expectancy, literacy, and school attendance. Burkina Faso's 1991 constitution guarantees its people the right to elect their government freely through periodic multiparty elections. The Burkinabe judiciary is subject to executive interference in political cases, but is more independent in civil and criminal cases. National security laws permit surveillance and arrest without warrants. Burkina Faso has a vibrant free press, and freedom of speech is protected by the constitution and generally respected in practice.
