As Election Day results show, even a democracy such as America can see significant changes from year to year. So it’s not surprising when new forms of representative government have issues finding a foothold. From pre-World War II Germany to corruption scandals in budding democracies around the world, empirics show it is difficult to maintain a new step towards popular sovereignty when an area is emerging from a different age. This is recently evident in Burkina Faso, where former president Blaise Compaore has been forced to resign in the wake of protests regarding his effort to make his already 27-year rule longer.

This was not a happy regime. Throughout the reign, there were civil rights concerns regarding issues such as the Zongo murder in 1998 that had at various points sparked large-scale protests. But Compaore’s attempts to incite constitutional change to keep himself in power were what finally drew the line. As outraged citizens took to the streets and began attacking parliament buildings, the government was forced to dissolve.

Burkina Faso will need to adopt reforms towards governmental and social stability to prevent these protests from reoccurring. With the protests, the people demonstrated that they wanted their concerns to be taken into account and that they were no longer willing to tolerate a ruler who would violate what they considered their rights. What the army does with their new leadership in the short-term will go a long way towards bringing either stability or continued conflict to the country.

However, this case is more than just a revolt in country on a different continent. In an area that had undergone many different types of rule and has not been independent very long, this case shows the dangers that can come as an area tries to establish its own way. For the people of Burkina Faso, it is a demonstration that they want more popular sovereignty. But for the rest of the world, it’s something worth paying attention to.