The Congress for Democracy and Progress (Congrès pour la Démocratie et le Progrès) is the ruling political party in Burkina Faso. It was founded by merger of the Organization for Popular Democracy - Labour Movement with the National Convention of Progressive Patriots / Social Democratic Party (CNPP/PSD), Group of Revolutionary Democrats (GDR), Movement for Socialist Democracy (MDS), Party of Action for the Liberalism in Solidarity (PACTILS), Party for Democracy and Rally (PDR), Rally of Independent Social Democrats (RSI), Union of Social Democrats (UDS), Union of Democrats and Patriots of Burkina (UDPB) and factions of the Groups of Patriotic Democrats (GDP) and the Burkinabè Socialist Bloc (BSB). The party claims to be a Marxist party, but uses many aspects of Capitalism. Since the reestablishment of the office of Prime Minister in 1992, all Prime Ministers of Burkina Faso have been members of this party, as have most other national officials, and the party has the most seats in Parliament. At the legislative elections, 5 May 2002, the party won 49.5 % of the popular vote and 57 out of 111 seats. In the presidential election of 13 November 2005, its candidate Blaise Compaoré won 80.35 % of the popular vote. He has been president of Burkina Faso since 1987 when he took power in a coup. At the May 2007 parliamentary elections, the party expanded its majority, winning 73 seats.
