Burkina Faso suspends ex-leader Compaore's political party

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Burkina Faso's transitional government on Monday suspended the party of deposed president Blaise Compaore and two allied political groups which had supported his attempt to cling to power. Compaore fled the country in October after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against his attempt to ram constitutional changes through parliament and extend his 27-year rule. Compaore's Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) did not hold the three-quarters majority needed to approve the measures without a referendum. However, days before parliament was due to debate the measures, Burkina's third biggest party, the ADF-RDA, threw its weight behind the plan. The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Security, in a statement, accused the parties of "activities incompatible with the law creating the charter for parties and political formations." Fedap-BC, another pro-Compaore political grouping, was suspended for violating a law on freedom of association. The ministry said the measures were temporary. "The sanction cannot exceed three months and the parties can contest the decision before an administrative tribunal," the ministry's secretary general, Sadou Sidibe, told Reuters. Representatives from the three political groupings were not immediately available for comment. Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida, a commander in the elite presidential guard, declared himself head of state following Compaore's ouster. He handed power last month to a civilian-led transitional government that will take the country into elections planned for late next year.