Start date May 14, 1978 | ||
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Winner Sangoulé Lamizana | ||
Presidential elections were held in the Republic of Upper Volta on 14 May 1978, with a second round on 28 May after no candidate won more than 50% in the first round. They were the country's first multi-party presidential elections, the previous elections in 1965 having Maurice Yaméogo as the sole candidate. The result was a victory for independent candidate Sangoulé Lamizana, who was backed by the Voltaic Democratic Union-African Democratic Rally and won 56.3% of votes in the second round. Voter turnout was 35.2% in the first round and 43.6% in the second.
Background
In 1966, Yaméogo left office after a general strike in opposition to his rule, and was replaced by a provisional military government led by Lamizana. In 1970, a new Constitution was ratified, which was later revised and ratified in 1977. After the passage of the new constitution in 1977, a presidential election was held in 1978.