Constitutional government in Burkina Faso can be said to have begun with the proclamation of independence on 5 August 1960. This was soon followed by the constitutional referendum of 27 November 1960 which paved the way for the adoption of the new constitution.
This First Republic (1960-1966) was a presidential regime with aspects of a parliamentary system. There was also a strict separation of powers between the executive and the parliament. All subsequent republics, including the current Fourth Republic, have embraced, more or less, the same arrangement.
