Fears of war abound as party seeks a third term for Nkurunziza

By LUCAS BARASA The EastAfrican
Posted Saturday, March 15 2014 at 12:26

In Summary
Although President Nkurunziza has not publicly indicated his intention
to vie for a third term in next year's election, his party loyalists
are pushing for him to run again.
The move has ignited demonstrations in the capital Bujumbura with the
opposition, led by Uprona party supporters and civil society,
demanding that the constitution be strictly adhered to and that
President Nkurunziza hangs up his boots after serving for two terms.
Tension remains high in Burundi with fears that the country could
return to civil war following plans by the ruling party to have
President Pierre Nkurunziza vie for another term in next year's
election.
The reports have sparked protests from the opposition and civil
society, who insist the ruling CNDD-FDD should stick to the Arusha
Accord of 2000, which set term limits for the president at five years,
renewable once. President Nkurunziza has been the first democratically
elected president of Burundi since 2005.
Although President Nkurunziza has not publicly indicated his intention
to vie for a third term in next year's election, his party loyalists
are pushing for him to run again.
The CNDD-FDD members have started debate in parliament to change the
constitution so as to pave the way for President Nkurunziza to vie for
the top seat in one of the world's poorest nations.
The move has ignited demonstrations in the capital Bujumbura with the
opposition, led by Uprona party supporters and civil society,
demanding that the constitution be strictly adhered to and that
President Nkurunziza hangs up his boots after serving for two terms.
Demo disrupted by police
What started as a peaceful demonstration by the group on March 8 was
violently disrupted by police, leaving scores of people injured. There
were also reports of shooting by police last Monday to prevent a
gathering of the opposition group.
READ: US condemns 'heavy-handed tactics' by Burundi police in clashes
Most of the Burundians who spoke to The EastAfrican in Bujumbura said
they feared violence could erupt any time due to the political crisis.
The African Union (AU) has also expressed its concern over the
goings-on and said the Arusha Accord, which ended 12 years of turmoil
in Burundi, should be implemented to the letter.
"This is only way for parties to have transparent, democratic and
inclusive elections next year," the head of the AU in Burundi,
Boubacar Gaoussou Diarra, who is also its special representative to
the Great Lakes region, said. "As a mediator, we want peace and
stability in this country.
"We don't want to speak about the legality of the constitution or not.
Everybody knows what the Arusha Accord is about. We don't want to say
the president is right or not.
"We want all measures put in place for a credible and inclusive election."
Mr Diarra regretted that the government was trying to split Uprona,
which is the main opposition party and seen to be representing the
minority Tutsi, a thing he cautioned was a threat to peace and
security.
"The government should open the democratic space by allowing parties
to sell their manifestoes," Mr Diarra said in an interview in his
office in Bujumbura. "This is the only way to have democratic
elections. 1/4 pages [...]
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Fears-of-war-abound-as-party-seeks-a-third-term-for-Nkurunziza-/-/2558/2246096/-/pqpvx8z/-/index.html
--
SIBOMANA Jean Bosco
Google+: https://plus.google.com/110493390983174363421/posts
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9B4024D0AE764F3D
http://www.youtube.com/user/sibomanaxyz999
***Online Time:15H30-20H30, heure de Montréal.***Fuseau horaire
domestique: heure normale de la côte Est des Etats-Unis et Canada
(GMT-05:00)***
| Reply via web post | Reply to sender | Reply to group | Start a New Topic | Messages in this topic (1) |
.To post a message: RwandaLibre@yahoogroups.com; .To join: RwandaLibre-subscribe@yahoogroups.com; .To unsubscribe from this group,send an email to:
RwandaLibre-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
_____________________________________________________
More news: http://www.amakurunamateka.com ; http://www.ikangurambaga.com ; http://rwandalibre.blogspot.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-SVP, considérer environnement avant toute impression de cet e-mail ou les pièces jointes.
======
-Please consider the environment before printing this email or any attachments.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsors:
http://www.afriqueintimites.com; http://www.afriqueintimites.com;
http://www.eyumbina.com/; http://www.foraha.net/
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-
Comments
Post a Comment