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Burundi: Many elections, less consultations

By on March 30, 2010
Tension prevails in Burundi, while in May to begin a new election cycle – the first “second votes” in the country’s history – with communal on May 21, the presidential on June 28, the parliamentary elections July 23, the Senate (indirect) on July 28 and the hill on September 7.
The general elections of 2005, which sanctioned the end of a ten years civil war, gave a clear victory to the former CNDD-FDD Hutu guerrilla on the pacifist Hutu party Frodebu, embroiled in numerous corruption cases.

This time, we expect a burst of political landscape for three reasons:
• The involvement of ruling party, CNDD-FDD, in many corruption cases, too,
• Entry into the politics of the former FNL Hutu guerrilla, whose supporters are said to have voted Frodebu in 2005,
• The emergence of new parties.
While many expect compelling results to form a coalition government, others look to the communal elections in May to see in what order the parties will be positioned.
Meanwhile, tension is noticeable, and other sources would be adding more risk, such as:
• Disagreement within the ruling party as the head of state expected to be automatically designated presidential candidate by his party, whilst a recent poll in the leadership of the CNDD-FDD has placed him only in 3rd position behind the president of the senate.
• The police, supervising the elections, are notoriously pro-CNDD-FDD and the army, Formed by former Tutsi army and several former Hutu rebel, is shaken by corporatist movement claims, which have prompted the defense minister to send a warning sgnal: “If this crisis continues, it could push the country into the abyss.”

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