CHAPTER TWO: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND CURRENT CHALLENGES _____________________________________________________________________ 83. The year 1991 marked a critical step along the path towards the renaissance of the rule of law. In January of that year, the president of Burkina Faso permitted the establishment of political parties. On 2 June 1991, a referendum approved the adoption of the new constitution, which was promulgated on 11 June 1991. The Fourth Republic was thereupon born. This ushered in the longest period of political stability in Burkina Faso since its independence. 84. Overall, the analysis of recent political developments in Burkina Faso since independence reveals four phases or periods. 85. The first phase from 1960 to 1966 saw the establishment of structures and instruments of sovereignty. This was also the period of recognition of Upper Volta by international organisations and institutions, and of the emergence of a defining relationship with the former colonial power. It was a phase during which balance on the diplomatic, economic and political levels was sought. After signing cooperation agreements with France in April 1961, Upper Volta joined the Group of Monrovia in January 1962. It took part in the establishment of the West African Monetary Union (WAMU), and participated on 26 May 1963 in Addis Ababa in the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which is today the AU. On the domestic front, efforts were made to establish a smoothly working Voltaic public administration. However, the introduction of a single-party system thwarted the democratic process and curtailed various freedoms. In addition, limited financial resources, coupled with mismanagement, did not make for the creation of a solid base for national economic development, with the result that the traditional system of production persisted. 86. The second period (1966-1983) was characterised by a succession of two republics (1971-1974/1978-1980) and five emergency regimes, namely the provisional military government (1966-1970); the regime of national renewal (1974-1976); the ‘transitional’ and ‘national unity’ governments (1976-1978); the CMRPN (1980-1982); and the CSP (1982-1983). For almost two decades, and particularly from 1996 to 1980, leaders of the country endeavoured to improve the national economy through the rigorous application of budgetary austerity measures and by requiring increased accountability on the part of state civil servants. The transition to democracy, beginning in the 1970s, encouraged the formation of several political parties and revitalised associations and trade unions, whose struggles for a normal constitutional life remain memorable. Any questioning of these gains by government provoked uprisings by the people and tended to destabilise the state. This political instability offered no real framework for initiating the socioeconomic development awaited by the people. Moreover, very low levels of literacy and poor health coverage were an indication of failure. 87. The revolutionary period (1983-1987) marked the third stage of this evolution. Initiated by progressive young officers in August 1983, the revolution was enthusiastically welcomed by the people. However, the real merits of the revolution lie in the self-confidence it forged among Burkina Faso’s people – a self-confidence that enabled them to create an image of the 54