OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore declared a state of emergency Thursday and dissolved the government amid unrest in reaction to a proposed constitutional amendment that would have extended his presidential term limit.
Earlier on Thursday, protesters stormed the Parliament in Ouagadougou, where the contentious legislation was to be debated. Protesters set the Parliament on fire along with the city hall and headquarters of the ruling political party. The proposed amendment to the Constitution would allow the president, who seized power in 1987 and has since won four disputed elections over a 27-year rule, to run for president again.