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Burundi election commission formed ahead of contested votes
A policeman shouts as he prepares to throw a teargas canister during a protest against Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza and his bid for a third term in Bujumbura, Burundi, June 2, 2015. PHOTO BY REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
By Clement Manirabarusha
14/06/2015
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) - Burundi's independent electoral commission said on Saturday it had filled two vacant committee positions, despite a boycott of the process by opposition parties, paving the way for contested elections.
The commission (CENI) is responsible for overseeing polls in a country where President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term has sparked weeks of clashes between police and protesters and plunged Burundi into its worst crisis in a decade.
Nkurunziza's opponents say he is violating the constitution and a peace deal that ended a protracted civil war in 2005 by seeking a third term. The president cites a constitutional court ruling saying he can run.
A parliamentary vote will now take place on June 26, followed by a presidential election on July 15.
Two out of five CENI committee members resigned after the crisis erupted, including CENI's vice president who fled the country late last month. The appointments announced on Saturday mean the committee has five members again.
The opposition, which boycotted the reappointment process, had argued that the commission was illegitimate with only three of its five members.
In a statement released on Friday, opposition leaders said CENI's role of "ensuring credible, transparent and democratic elections" was not possible as long as the commission was being run only by those loyal to Nkurunziza.
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