Difficult choice in Burundi, resistance against the “Eternal Supreme leader”Burundi is considered to be the North Korea of Africa, free elections, no one expected to be there. But now, the race is more open than I thought.Bernd Dörries from Kapstadt1 Kommentar1Trieb the country into Isolation: Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza (left) with his desire successor, Evariste Ndayishimiye.Photo: Evrard Ngendakumana (Reuters)
a few weeks Ago, the government sought party of Burundi after photos, which should illustrate the victory of the certainty of their followers, for a small Post in the social networks. The image that was shown there, along with a couple of big-lane slogans, shows a large crowd of people. The cheering, however, to the opposition candidate. Perhaps it was just a Mistake, but maybe the PR people, the government found simply no major accumulations of followers.
On Wednesday will be elected in Burundi, the small country in East Africa that has gone in the past few years by many human rights abuses and the expulsion of international aid agencies further and further into self-isolation. Since 2015, the “national Council for the defence of democracy/forces for the defence of democracy” (CNDD-FDD), whose Name comes from a Monty Python movie ruled there.
hundreds of opposition members murdered
the party with The difficult name Burundi has made, together with President, Pierre Nkurunziza, one of the most undemocratic countries in Africa: bat troops to pursue the Opposition, hundreds of its representatives were murdered, hundreds of thousands of people fled. The government threw the BBC out of the country and was one of the first countries that left the International criminal court. Free elections were not to be expected in this climate of intimidation, yet the race seems more open than I thought.
diplomats report busy inlet for the Opposition. Tens of thousands came to the rallies of Agathon Rwasa, the candidate of the opposition party, the CNL, which had already competed in several elections against President Nkurunziza and under dubious circumstances lost. Nkurunziza not to run, has, however, previously, a pension package of assure, including a severance payment of half a Million dollars, luxury Villa, and the title of “eternal Supreme leader”.
This sounds like North Korea, and in this direction has moved the country too. Recently, even the representatives WHO were expelled, who had dared to ask the government for a little more commitment in the fight against Corona: 42 cases, the country reports so far, the true number is likely to be much higher, Doctors in hospitals, reports of increasing disease and death figures.
The President gets a half a Million dollars and a luxury Villa.
Still, the elections should be held on the rallies of thousands of people to wear a mask and not keep the minimum distance. “In countries which have held in spite of the location elections, we have an increase in diseases will notice,” said John Nkengasong, chief of the African centre for disease control. So far, have come in Burundi by the violence before the elections, however, more people have been killed by the Virus.
Burundi suffered from many decades of violence between the ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi. A peace agreement in 2000, but managed to some extent successfully, to defuse the conflict between the two, both groups were given fixed quotas for their representation in army and government service. The conflict between the government and the Opposition is no longer along the ethnic groups. The two most promising candidates, the Hutu are.
election observers are not welcome
For the government party, Evariste Ndayishimiye going into the race, the former Minister of the interior. Some foreign diplomats hope to make him cautious reforms and an Opening up of the country. But there are little signs. As Secretary-General of the government party, he had to make the youth militia, Imbonerakure hunting dissidents with brutal force you to drive for years, a poll tax, because the government’s loss of revenue.
The compulsory levy but it did not necessarily lead to fair elections. Observers from the UN or the EU were not welcome. In arrival, under Delegation from the East African community was ordered to embark until after the election in quarantine.
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