Editing Politics of Burkina Faso (section)

===Legislative branch===
According to the constitution, the Parliament votes on the law, consents to taxation, and controls the actions of the government under provisions of the constitution. The Parliament, which is made up of the National Assembly and Senate, meets each year in two ordinary sessions, each of which may not exceed ninety days. The first session opens on the first Wednesday of March and the second the last Wednesday of September. If either of these days lands on a holiday, the session opens the next first working day. Each chamber of Parliament meets in extraordinary session on request of the President, demand of the Prime Minister, or of an absolute majority of half of the Deputies or Senators on a specific agenda and closes at the completion of said agenda.<ref name=BurkinaFasoConst>{{cite web|title=Constitution of Burkina Faso|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Burkina_Faso_2012.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Burkina_Faso_2012.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|website=constituteproject.org|access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref>

The [[National Assembly of Burkina Faso|National Assembly]] (''Assemblée Nationale'') has 111 members, named Deputies, and are elected for a five-year term by [[proportional representation]].

The [[Senate of Burkina Faso|Senate]], as described in the Constitution of Burkina Faso, would consist of representatives from local government divisions, customary and religious authorities, workers, employers, Burkinabé abroad and people appointed by the President of Burkina Faso and serve a term of six years. The constitution requires that anyone elected or appointed must be 45 years old by the day of the ballot.<ref name=BurkinaFasoConst />

In May 2013, then-President Compaoré announced the establishment of a new Senate with 89 members, 29 of which would be selected by the president themselves, and the rest appointed by local officials.<ref>{{cite web|title=Burkina Faso - Country report|url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2014/burkina-faso#.VdSRA5ZvKxM.cleanprint|website=freedomhouse.org|publisher=Freedom House|access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref> With Senate elections being held in July 2013, government opposition groups warned against a legislative body with a majority of handpicked sympathizers by the president. Compaoré was successful in appointing 1/3rd of the Senate, prompting protesters rallying in the streets of [[Bobo-Dioulasso]] and the capital [[Ouagadougou]] to protest the establishment of the Senate, which has since been postponed.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Barrios|first1=Cristina|last2=Luengo-Cabrera|first2=José|title=Burkina Faso: a crisis foretold|url=http://www.iss.europa.eu/uploads/media/Alert_46_Burkina_Faso.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.iss.europa.eu/uploads/media/Alert_46_Burkina_Faso.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|website=European Union Institute for Security Studies|access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref>

The Presidents of both the Senate and National Assembly are elected for the duration of the legislator by an absolute majority of half the chamber in the first round of voting, or a simple majority in the second round. Their functions can be terminated during the course of a legislature at the demand of two-fifths and a vote of the absolute majority of the members of the Assembly. In the case of vacancy of the presidency of either chamber of Parliament by death, resignation, or other reason, said chamber elects a new president by the same method. Each chamber has financial autonomy, with the President of the said chamber managing the credits allocated to them for the functioning of the chamber, but with a vote of the absolute majority, the chamber can dismiss the President for incompetence in managing finances.<ref name=BurkinaFasoConst />

Unless discovered ''[[in flagrante delicto]]'', any member of Parliament can only be prosecuted or arrested in a penal or criminal matter with the authorization of at least one-third members of the chamber which they reside.<ref name=BurkinaFasoConst />