– Nkurunziza ‘campaigning’ –
The Burundian president, however, failed to turn up: his spokesman said he instead would be pushing ahead with his re-election campaign.
It was during a first crisis meeting on May 13 in Tanzania’s economic capital, attended by Nkurunziza, that a top general launched an unsuccessful bid to oust him – and the president was seen as being wary of again leaving the country.
There was no immediate response from the Burundian government to the call for an election delay.
According to a diplomat close to the talks, Nkurunziza will also be expected to “give the opposition and independent media an opportunity to freely express themselves.”
The EAC summit was attended by leaders from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Rwandan President Paul Kagame, a key regional player and Burundi’s neighbour, sent a minister to represent him, although South African President Jacob Zuma did join the talks.
Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader from the Hutu majority and a born-again Christian, insists he has every right to stand again, arguing that for his first term in office he was appointed by parliament and not after a general election.
Asked to rule on Nkurunziza’s candidacy, Burundi’s constitutional court found in favour of the president, but not before one of the judges also fled the country, claiming that its members were subject to death threats.
About The Author
