I congratulate the people of Burkina Faso on holding peaceful and orderly presidential and legislative elections this week. Over the past two years the Burkinabe people have repeatedly demonstrated their strong commitment to democracy in the face of adversity, and shown that legitimate leadership requires public accountability.

I further congratulate President-elect Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who will be the first new leader of Burkina Faso in nearly 30 years. The United States looks forward to working with the government and people of Burkina Faso to advance our strong partnership and to continue to strengthen Burkina Faso’s governance, security, and economic institutions.

I commend Burkina Faso’s National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) for its conduct of the elections. Our Embassy in Ouagadougou sent dozens of observers throughout the country, joining representatives from the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union, the European Union, and others. Burkina Faso’s commitment to a peaceful and transparent election is a model to be emulated.