Burundi Court Backs President’s Bid for Third Term
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Version 0 of 1. NAIROBI, Kenya — Burundi’s constitutional court on Tuesday approved President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term, brushing aside more than a week of deadly protests and the refusal of the court’s deputy president to sign its ruling. The dissenting justice has fled to neighboring Rwanda. In a seven-page document, the justices declared that the president’s desire to secure another term did not contradict the Constitution of Burundi, a landlocked central-southern African country of 10 million, where anxiety is rising over a return to instability and ethnic strife after years of peace. “The court declares that, the only one and last renewal of the current presidential term, in direct universal franchise for five years, is not contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of Burundi of March 8, 2005,” the document stated. Six of the court’s seven members signed the statement. The court’s deputy president, Sylvere Nimpagaritse, was the lone holdout, explaining his refusal in a statement quoted by The Associated Press. “As a Burundian and custodian of the law, my conscience could not allow me to be part of something all Burundians were standing up against, something that violates the Constitution and the pillars upon which peace was achieved in Burundi,” Mr. Nimpagaritse said. The government of neighboring Rwanda has expressed concern over events in Burundi. “We appeal to leaders of Burundi to do everything in their power to bring the country back to a peaceful situation,” its foreign minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, said. “While we respect Burundi’s sovereignty in addressing internal matters, Rwanda considers the safety of innocent population as a regional and international responsibility.” Protests over what critics call the president’s power grab extended into Tuesday but were not as violent as in past days. The protests have left at least nine people dead so far, with scores wounded and hundreds arrested. According to United Nations estimates, about 30,000 Burundians have sought refuge in neighboring countries, mainly in Rwanda. Mr. Nkurunziza has been in power since 2005. Members of the opposition say his bid for re-election is unconstitutional because presidents are allowed only one renewal of their five-year term. His supporters counter that his first term does not count toward the limit because he was not directly elected in 2005. Elections are scheduled for June 26. Opponents say that by seeking another term, Mr. Nkurunziza is imperiling the Arusha peace agreement of 2000, which ended a bitter and bloody civil war. Fighting between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups, which led to a genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and their sympathizers in Rwanda in 1994, was also a major underlying cause of the conflict in Burundi, where 300,000 died. The government of Burundi has cracked down on activists, journalists and independent news outlets, drawing criticism from human rights groups and foreign diplomats, including those from the United States government. |