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Burundi protest organizers call for suspension of protests for one day

Xinhua, May 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Organizers of demonstrations against the third term of Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza Friday evening announced a one-day suspension of protests on Saturday to allow the burial of protesters killed this week.

"We will not take to the streets tomorrow (Saturday) because we want to allow the burial, in dignity, of protesters killed during this week. Protesters have also worked hard this week and need a short rest," Vice-Chairman of the Front for Democracy in Burundi (Sahwanya-FRODEBU) Frederic Bamvuginyumvira told Xinhua on Friday evening.

Bamvuginyumvira indicated that the suspension of the protests is aimed to bury defenders of the 2000 Arusha Agreement and the National Constitution with "dignity and in serenity".

According to him, the one-day suspension of protests was discussed with the civil society which is the co-organizer of the protests along with some opposition parties.

Protests against Nkurunziza's third term have been rocking some neighborhoods of the Burundian capital Bujumbura since April 26, one day after the country's ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD- FDD) nominated him as the party's candidate to run the presidential election due on June 26.

The opposition and the civil society, however, argue that Nkurunziza's third term is a violation of the Burundian constitution and the 2000 Arusha Agreement that provide two terms of five years each for a president of Burundi.

On Tuesday, the Burundian constitutional court passed the candidacy of Nkurunziza for another term, explaining that the 2005- 2010 term should not be counted as a term because he was elected by the parliament and not directly in universal suffrage.

In a message to the nation on Wednesday evening, Nkurunziza called on protesters to stop their demonstrations and pledged that if he is elected in the upcoming presidential election, it will be his "last" term.

Burundi is this year to hold general elections between May 26 and August 24, with the presidential election due on June 26. Endi