Roch March Christian Kabore was declared Burkina Faso’s new President on Monday, after the Independent National Election Commission confirmed he had won 53.5% of the votes in the recently concluded democratic elections. The polls were expected to be held in September, but were delayed after military forces tried to derail the proceedings. The attempted coup sought to take over a transitional government that had ruled Burkina Faso since 2014, when a citizens’ uprising had forced out President Blaise Campaore. Campaore, an autocratic leader, had been in power for 27 years before street protests by thousands of citizens led to his downfall, BBC reported. He now lives in exile in the neighbouring Ivory Coast.

Kabore’s main rival in the elections was Zephirin Diabre, who won less than 30% of the votes and extended his congratulations to the new president on Monday evening. The turnout was high, CNN reported, unlike in previous years when people did not bother to vote as they believed the incumbent President Campaore would be reinstated unscrupulously anyway. The elections were conducted by the transitional government, which did not field any candidates of its own. Fourteen people ran for president, though Kabore and Diabre were the clear frontrunners.