Burundi’s President
Pierre Nkurunziza has taken the oath of office “for a new term of five
years” in a surprise ceremony ahead of an August 26 deadline, when his
previous mandate ends, according to Presidential Communications Chief, Willy
Nyamitwe.
The opposition condemned his third-term bid as
unconstitutional and provoked months of protests. Rebel generals attempted a
coup in mid-May, which failed.
The United Nations observer mission said the vote last
month was not “inclusive free and credible” and was held “in an environment of
profound mistrust” between political rivals.
Nkurunziza won 69.41% of the vote, an immediate
first-round victory.
Burundi’s Constitution only allows a president to be
elected twice for a total of 10 years in power but Nkurunziza said before
these polls that he had only been elected directly by the people
once. He was selected by Parliament in 2005 and elected in 2010.
Nkurunziza, a 51-year-old former sports teacher and
born-again Christian, was a Hutu rebel leader during the central African
country’s 13-year civil war, when at least 300 000 people were killed.
Top international envoys from the UN, African Union,
European Union, Belgium and the United States have called on all sides to
“recommit to a transparent, inclusive and comprehensive political dialogue”.
AU chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Sunday called for
“utmost restraint” by all sides, warning of potential “catastrophic
consequences” for troubled Burundi and the wider region if rivals did not
resolve their political differences peacefully. – AFP
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