The vote is one of the most important transfers of power in Burundi since independence in 1962
Few face masks were observed, even on the ruling party’s candidate, as voters crammed close to each other in line. Some paused to wash their hands. Burundi’s government has been criticized for not appearing to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously. Nkurunziza himself attended crowded political rallies. The country has 42 confirmed virus cases.“We are not afraid because the organizers did not require us to distance 1 metre,” voter Ndayishimiye Innocent said. “They saw that God is with us.
Nkurunziza praised the election because “no foreigner came to trouble them as it happened in the past.” When he cast his ballot Rwasa condemned the social media cuts, saying it could be a way of committing election fraud. He called for respecting the people’s will. “If we are satisfied we will say it, but if we are not we will also say it,” he said.One electoral commission official, Zirabura Ferdinant, dismissed concerns: “As you can see, everything is in order and we expect everything to move along freely and fairly.
The deadly turmoil that followed the 2015 vote badly damaged global relations, and Burundi became the first country to leave the International Criminal Court after it started investigating allegations of abuses. The UN human rights office reported more than 300 extrajudicial killings and was kicked out of the country. Burundi’s government has denied allegations it targets its people.
Many Burundians were surprised that Nkurunziza would step aside after a referendum in 2018 extended the length of a presidential term to seven years and led many to believe he would try to stay in power.
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