1980 Upper Voltan coup d'état up against the President, which caused the 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état, in which Lieutenant Colonel Sangoulé Lamizana took power. This marked the beginning of a long era of military rule in Upper Volta and later Burkina Faso. Lamizana would go on to rule the country as a military dictator until the Upper Voltan presidential election in 1978, when he was elected as the leader of a civilian regime. During the 1970s, the Lamizana government faced many problems, among them continued opposition from the trade unions, the rise of new political opposition groups, a strong Sahel drought, increasing desertification, and
1948 Upper Voltan Territorial Assembly election the Voltaic Union over the African Democratic Rally-affiliated Entente Voltaïque (EV), with some commandants "using strong-arm methods" against the EV candidates, whilst a significant number of EV supporters were imprisoned. 1948 Upper Voltan Territorial Assembly election Territorial Assembly elections were held in French Upper Volta on 30 May 1948, with a second round on 20 June. They were the first elections to the new Territorial Assembly, which had been created following the separation of Upper Volta from Ivory Coast the previous year. The Territorial Assembly had 50 seats, with 10 elected by the First College (French citizens) and 40 by