François Compaoré, 58, is an economic adviser and younger brother to President Blaise Compaoré.

He was catapulted into the spotlight after the deaths of his driver David Ouedraogo in 1997 and journalist Norbert Zongo in 1998.

Without any real substance to the rumour, the chattering classes see François as Blaise's successor.

Such suspicions gained ground when he became a member of the political committee of the Congrès pour la Démocratie et le Progrès in 2012.

He also ran in legislative polls in December 2012.

Oppositionists see it as the first step towards the presidency of the National Assembly and a step towards the national presidency in 2015.