布基纳法索举行新总统和议会选举

Voters in Burkina Faso have voted Sunday for a new president and parliament in what is being called the country's Most open election in its history.

非洲国家布基纳法索的选民星期天投票选举了新一任总统和议会。这次选举被称为是布基纳法索历史上最为开放的一次大选。

Five million registered voters were eligible to select from among a slate of 14 presidential candidates.

该国五百万注册选民有资格从14名总统候选人当中选出一位新总统。

Twelve hours of voting ended about 6 p.m. local time. Officials have begun counting the ballots and the first results are expected late Monday. If no one earns more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round will be held.

历时12个小时的投票在当地时间下午大约6点结束。官员们开始计票工作，最初计票统计结果预计星期一晚间公布。如果没有候选人在星期天的选举中赢得超过半数选票的话，将举行第二轮投票，以定乾坤。

Former President Blaise Compaore led Burkina Faso for 27 years before trying last year to get rid of a constitutional term limit and make himself eligible for another round in office. That move brought protests that forced him to resign.

布基纳法索前总统孔波雷在领导布基纳法索27年之后，去年试图改写宪法，取消对总统的任期限制，以便自己再度执政。此举引发抗议，并迫使他辞职。

An interim government replaced Compaore, and the election was supposed to take place in October, but a brief, failed military coup forced the process to be postponed.

孔波雷辞职后，布基纳法索是由一个临时政府领导。大选原本定于10月份举行，但是军方发起的短暂的失败政变，迫使选举被推迟到本周日举行。