Campaigns for constitutional referendum kick off in Burundi

BUJUMBURA, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Campaigns for a referendum on constitutional amendments started Wednesday in Burundi with political parties holding rallies throughout the land-locked African country.

Campaigns for the referendum, due on May 17, are allowed till May 14, according to a presidential decree.

The draft constitution provides for the creation of the post of a prime minister and only one vice-president, whereas the 2005 constitution provides for two vice-presidents. The prime minister is to be designated from the ruling party, while the vice-president will come from a different party.

It extends the presidential term from the five years provided in the 2005 constitution to seven years and allows the president to serve two consecutive terms.

The draft constitution will be passed if it is approved by over 50 percent of voters.

The ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) party launched its campaign in Gitega, a central province where President Pierre Nkurunziza called on all citizens to vote "yes".

"I will also cast the 'yes' ballot during the constitutional referendum. The constitution is ours," he said.

"Adopting the constitutional referendum means kicking away colonizers and oppressors. We, Burundian citizens, have decided to have our own destiny in our hands. We want to prepare our own future and to construct our own nation without relying on foreigners," Evariste Ndayishimiye, CNDD-FDD secretary general, told a crowd of party members.

According to Ndayishimiye, the adoption of the draft constitution would mean an end to disorder in Burundi and the president would be able to choose the leaders to run the country.

Other parties also launched their campaigns on Wednesday.

The ruling party's allies, like the National Progress Union, the party of First Vice-President Gaston Sindimwo, the Front for Democracy in Burundi, and the Development and Peace Union also called for support for the draft constitution.

The opposition coalition Burundians' Hope, headed by First Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly Agathon Rwasa, began campaigning against the draft constitution in northern Burundi.

Around 5 million citizens have registered for the referendum and the general elections, the National Independent Electoral Commission said.

Nkurunziza was elected president by parliament in 2005 and re-elected by universal suffrage in 2010 and in 2015.

Burundi plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Nkurunziza decided to run his controversial third term bid, which he won in July 2015. His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015. Enditem