CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE _____________________________________________________________________ to two of their major weaknesses, namely the absence of a tactical and strategic sense and, most importantly, their inability to unite. • The great disparities in resources between the candidates/parties make the game unfair: even if the institutions of power have privileged access to the state audiovisual media as regards the dissemination of information regarding power, it must be recognised that a major effort should be made to ensure the provision of balanced information at election time. Election campaigns and election results often give rise to serious controversies about the role of money in elections, the cost of election campaigns and the appropriateness of expenditure ceilings. Without mechanisms of control and accountability, such a resource can introduce distortions in the political game and vitiate the democratic process by allowing the ‘sale’ of votes to the highest bidder. • The lack of voter education, without which an election is a sham. Although casting a vote is an individual act, it takes place in a communitarian environment that is open to illegitimate manipulation by traditional and religious authorities as well as by the more affluent candidates/parties. 166. The rule of law and supremacy of the constitution. The adoption of the constitution of 2 June 1991 heralded the beginning of a process of democratisation marked by the organisation of several electoral consultations in order to lay the foundations of a pluralist democracy. However, practice and constitutional interpretations of the political regime tend to strengthen the position of the Executive. The same is true as regards the practice of constitutional revisions under the Fourth Republic. 167. In fact, the constitution has been the subject of several revisions: 168. • Law 002/97/ADP of 27 January 1997 among other things removed the limitations clause relating to the number of presidential mandates. • Law 003-2000/AN of 11 April 2000 among other things reinstated the limitations clause relating to presidential mandates and made provision for a five-year mandate as opposed to a seven-year mandate. It has also divided the Supreme Court into three higher courts – the State Council, the Court of Annulment, and the Audit Office – and has created a Constitutional Council. • Law 001-2002/AN of 22 January 2002 among other things abolished the House of Representatives and, consequently, bicameralism. The contribution of the Constitutional Council to the entrenchment of constitutionalism in Burkina Faso has been mixed. What is surprising is the impressive amount of advice provided by it in contrast to the limited number of rulings handed down. This shows that the institution is still in the process of planning to gear up. The limited representation of the opposition deprives such opposition of the possibility of referring matters to the Constitutional Council. 97