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Burundi's ruling party urges discussion of suggested presidential poll date

Xinhua, July 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

Burundian ruling party Tuesday welcomed outcomes of a regional summit held to tackle the country's political crisis, but urged the discussion of the proposed new presidential poll date of July 30.

The East African Community (EAC) summit on Burundi was held Monday in Tanzania's Dar-es-Salaam, suggesting the delay of the Burundian presidential poll from July 15 to July 30.

"We welcomed all the outcomes from the summit, but concerning the delay of the presidential poll from July 15 to July 30 as suggested by the summit, we will take time to discuss with the new facilitator. We will show him that there is limit of the constitution of Burundi, meaning that there is a date we cannot go beyond," Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe, spokesman of the Burundian ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy- Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), told Xinhua.

According to him, holding the presidential poll on July 30 will be in contradiction with the national constitution whose article 103 sets the limit of a presidential poll not beyond July 26.

"We will show this issue to the new facilitator and we will convince him that we cannot go out of the provisions of the national constitution," said Ndabirabe.

He also indicated that other issues including the formation of a "government of national union" that would include some opposition figures will also be discussed with the new facilitator.

The summit also designated Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni as the new facilitator in the Burundi's political crisis and the disarmament of youth groups affiliated to political parties.

By the end of last week, the Burundian ruling party and its allies rejected the facilitation of UN Special Envoy to Burundi Abdoulaye Bathily, accusing him of interfering in the east African country's affairs and called for the appointment of a new facilitator.

Earlier in June, the opposition had also rejected the facilitation of UN Special Envoy to Burundi Said Djinnit, accusing him of siding with the government.

Burundi has been in turmoil since April 25 when President Pierre Nkurunziza, who has been in power since 2005, announced that he will run for a third term in the upcoming elections, despite warnings at home and abroad.

Clashes between protesters and police have left more than 30 people dead in the country. Endi