Burundi's opposition to boycott presidential poll despite new delay

The Burundian main opposition group Saturday announced that it will boycott the country's presidential poll delayed from July 15 to July 21, arguing that nothing has been done to create favorable conditions for elections.

"The issue for elections is not the date, but conditions for a favorable climate for fair, credible and inclusive elections. We will not again go to the presidential poll," Francois Bizimana, spokesman of the Burundians' Hope independent main opposition coalition has told Xinhua.

Bizimana indicated that the African Union (AU) and the East African Community (EAC) had urged a "consensus" on the election schedule through a dialogue framework.

Two facilitators sent by the United Nations, notably Said Djinnit and Abdoulaye Bathily, were rejected respectively by the opposition and the ruling party.

Djinnit was rejected earlier in June and was accused to "side" with the government and earlier in July, his successor Bathily was rejected by the ruling party, accusing him of "interfering" in the country's internal affairs.

The spokesman of the "Burundians' Hope," a coalition of independent opposition candidates, Francois Bizimana, said, "Many conditions like the disarmament of youth groups affiliated to political parties, the third term bid of President Pierre Nkurunziza, the reopening of radio stations and the release of protesters against Nkurunziza's third term have not yet been met."

A presidential decree issued Saturday stipulated that the presidential poll has been delayed from July 15 to July 21.

It also extended the campaign for the presidential election to July 18 at 18:00 local time.

A political crisis started on April 25 when the country's ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy- Forces the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), designated Pierre Nkurunziza as the party's candidate for the presidential poll.

Right after Nkurunziza was designated as the party's candidate for the forthcoming presidential poll, main opposition groups and several civil society organizations called for protests against Nkurunziza's third term bid considered by his supporters as his second term, arguing that the 2005-2010 term should not be considered as a term because he was elected by the parliament and not directly by citizens.

The Burundian civil society reported at least 80 people were killed during the protests, mainly held in the Burundian capital Bujumbura.

On June 29, the east African country's main opposition groups boycotted legislative and local and communal elections.

Senatorial elections are due on July 24. Endi