'The voting is really taking place smoothly,’ Burundi resident says

For the first time since Burundi’s civil war in 1993, the East African nation is having what election officials are calling the country’s most competitive election campaign ever.

Voters queue to cast their ballots at a polling centre in Gitega, Burundi, May 20. Courtesy of Reuters

Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza won’t be running for the first time in 15 years. Instead, former Chief of Staff Evariste Ndayishimiye will take Nkurunziza's place and represent the CNDD-FDD Party.

Ndayishimiye will be facing off against Agathon Rwasa, the leader of the country’s main opposition party, as well as five other challengers.

Nkurunziza won’t be leaving the public eye. He’ll take up the newly created role lawmakers approved in January, of "supreme guide."

The position will boost Nkurunziza's salary to $540,000 a year. He’ll also be given a complimentary luxury villa.

Under the position of supreme guide, the next president will be required by law to consult Nkurunziza on matters regarding national unity and security.

Nkurunziza was supposed to leave office in 2015 after his second term came to an end. But the African leader refused to step down and decide to run for a third term, violating the country’s constitution.

Violence, followed by a failed military coup that killed hundreds, broke out falling Nkurunziza's announcement to run for a third time.

But at the end of the day, with no competitors at the poll to run against him, Nkurunziza won the election with 70% of the popular vote.

This round of elections comes as Burundi deals with 42 cases of Covid-19. The WHO discouraged Nkurunziza from going ahead with the vote. Nkurunziza responded to their request by expelling WHO officials in Burundi, last week.

“We call on Burundians to vote in massive numbers and vote peacefully. We need good elections,” Pierre Claver Kazihise, chairman for the election commission said in comments aired by state broadcaster RTNB

Already, long lines at polling stations have been reported, with one voter describing the process as "smooth." This despite reports the government blocked social media apps such as Twitter, Facebook, and Whatsapp.

Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza ( on the far right)and Evariste Ndayishimiye (in the middle) at the Bugendana Stadium in Gitega Province, Burundi, April 27, 2020. Courtesy Reuters

“We know there is a plan of election fraud, some are even intimidating people asking for their voter cards to vote for them,” President Nkurunziza said.

Election results will be announced within a week. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, a re-run will have to take place.

By: Niza Nondo