Union for Rebirth / Sankarist Party

The Union for Rebirth / Sankarist Party (French: Union pour la Renaissance / Parti Sankariste, UNIR / PS) was a political party in Burkina Faso.

Union for Rebirth / Sankarist Party
LeaderBénéwendé Stanislas Sankara
Founded2000
Dissolved2021
Merged intoUnion for Rebirth / Patriotic Sankarist Movement
IdeologySankarism
Socialism
Political positionLeft-wing
Slogan"Avec le Peuple, Victoire!" ("With the People, Victory!")
National Assembly
5 / 127
Website
Union pour la Renaissance / Mouvement Sankariste, UNIR/MS

History

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Party headquarters of the UNIR/PS with a poster portraying Thomas Sankara.

The party was founded on November 1, 2000. Its president is lawyer Bénéwendé Stanislas Sankara,[1] who bears no family relationship to Thomas Sankara.[2]

The name "Sankarist" party appears to be a reference to both the late President Thomas Sankara and the party's current leader. The party subscribes to Sankarism.

At the legislative elections on 5 May 2002, the party won 2.4% of the popular vote and three out of 111 seats. In the presidential election of 13 November 2005, its candidate Bénéwendé Stanislas Sankara took second place with 4.88% of the popular vote.[3] At the 2007 parliamentary elections, the party won four seats.

Political scientist Bettina Engels [de] states that the UNIR/PS was among the opposition parties that participated in the 2014 uprising that ousted Blaise Compaoré, but that it "did not play a major role". The UNIR/PS went on to support the government of Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.[4]

On November 1st, 2021, it was announced that the party merged with the Mouvement Patriotique pour le Salut and other small Sankarist parties and organisations into a new party, the Union pour la Renaissance/ Mouvement patriotique sankariste (Union for Rebirth / Patriotic Sankarist Movement) or UNIR/MPS.[5][6] Bénéwendé Sankara continued to lead this party until he was succeeded by interim president Augustin Loada in January 2023.[7]

Electoral history

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National Assembly

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Election year # of overall votes % of overall vote # of overall seats won +/–
2002 42,599 2.45 (#)
3 / 111
2007 90,705 3.89 (#4)
4 / 111
  1
2012 131,592 4.36 (#4)
4 / 111
 
2015 118,662 3.76 (#5)
5 / 150
  1
2020 68,727 2.45 (#6)
5 / 150
 

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Page about the party Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine on thomassankara.net.
  2. ^ De-Valera N.Y.M. Botchway and Moussa Traore, "Military Coup, Popular Revolution or Militarised Revolution?", in A Certain Amount of Madness: The Life, Politics and Legacies of Thomas Sankara (ed. Amber Murrey), London: Pluto Press, 2018, p. 22.
  3. ^ Elections in Burkina Faso, African Elections Database.
  4. ^ Bettina Engels, "Social Movement Struggles and Political Transition in Burkina Faso", in A Certain Amount of Madness: The Life, Politics and Legacies of Thomas Sankara (ed. Amber Murrey), London: Pluto Press, 2018, pp. 264-265.
  5. ^ "Burkina : L'Union pour la Renaissance/Mouvement patriotique sankariste (UNIR/MPS), le nouveau parti dirigé par Me Bénéwendé Sankara". Lefaso.net. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  6. ^ "UNIR/MPS : Nouveau parti sankariste pour repartir à la conquête du pouvoir d'Etat". Burkina Demain. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Présidence de l'UNIR/MPS : Me Bénéwendé Sankara passe le témoin après 22 ans". Burkina24. Retrieved 28 June 2024.