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Low turnout as Burundi voter listing starts

Tuesday November 25 2014
EABURUNDI2008B

Pierre Claver Ndayicariye, the chairman of Burundi's National Independent Electoral Commission says the electoral body has established communal and provincial offices for registration of eligible voters. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Low turnout marked the start of the registration of voters by Burundi's National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) in which people aged above 18 are eligible.

The listing that started on Monday will run for two weeks and is part of preparations for the General Election next year in which President Pierre Nkurunzinza is expected to run for a disputed third term.

CENI said it had established communal and provincial offices for registration of eligible voters.

“We have deployed our officials in different provinces all over the country and we do call on all Burundians who are 18 and above to turn out with their national identity cards so as to be registered and be legible to vote next year,” said Pierre Claver Ndayicariye the chairman of CENI.

The Democratic Alliance for Change (ADC-IKIBIRI), a coalition of opposition parties had asked CENI to defer the registration arguing that its supporters could not easily get national identity cards. The demand was turned down.

The 2015 elections will be held under the 2005 Constitution which provides 60 per cent of seats in National Assembly to the Hutu and 40 per cent to the Tutsi. However, there are three additional seats reserved for the Twa ethnic group which make up one per cent of the Burundian population.

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The Constitution also allows the sharing of upper house parliament and senate seats on 50-50 as well as the military posts.

In 2010, some opposition leaders boycotted the elections alleging CENI was not conducting free and fair elections.  The leader of National Liberation Forces (FNL)  Agathon Rwasa fled the country claiming his life was in extreme danger as a result.

Mr Rwasa returned from exile in August last year and hopes to be among the 2015 election candidates.

The ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) will hold a congress in January to decide whether the incumbent should run for a third term in office.

READ: Party fights for Nkurunziza to run

The opposition believes he should not because he will already have served the two terms prescribed by the Constitution. His first term, however, was not served under the 2010 agreement making his supporters argue that he is eligible to vie because the law cannot be applied respectively. 

READ: Burundi tense on Nkurunziza third term push

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