EDITORIAL: Burundi’s future rests on smooth power transition
Burundi’s incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza of the ruling party CNDD-FDD votes for presidential and general elections in Buye, northern Burundi, on May 20, 2020. PHOTO | AFP
On May 20, Burundians voted in one of the most significant polls in the country’s 58 years of independence. Given its tumultuous history, the latest polls were largely seen as a moon-shot at an orderly handover of power.
In going ahead with the poll, Burundi joined a handful of countries that have managed to conduct general elections during the current coronavirus pandemic. In that, Bujumbura presents a template for countries such as Tanzania and Uganda that have presidential and legislative polls due over the next eight months or so.
