Burundian president contributes money for country’s 2020 elections

BUJUMBURA, April 3 — Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza Monday deposited 4 million Burundi francs (2,270 U.S. dollars) to a bank account opened for contributions to the 2020 general elections.
After depositing the money to the Burundi Central Bank, Nkurunziza said that he had accomplished a “patriotic action” by contributing to the elections.
He had given the contribution last year, said the president, adding that he made the contribution again because agricultural production of his family has been good this season.
A lot of time was wasted through requesting financial support from donors to finance elections, who sometimes impose conditions, he said.
The experience of the last general elections in 2015 has revealed that Burundian people can finance the elections by themselves, he added.
In August 2017, Nkurunziza contributed 5 million francs (2,840 dollars) for the 2020’s general elections.
Around 5 million Burundian citizens registered for the upcoming constitutional referendum and the general elections in the combined registration, according to the National Independent Electoral Commission of Burundi.
The central African country is expected to hold the referendum of the constitution on May 17 this year. The draft constitution, which doesn’t ban the current president to run again in 2020, extends the presidential term from five years provided in the 2005 constitution to seven years and allows the president to serve two consecutive terms.
It will be passed if it is approved by over 50 percent of voters, according to the presidential decree for inviting registered voters to vote in the referendum.
Nkurunziza was elected the president of Burundi by the parliament in 2005. He was re-elected in a universal suffrage in 2010 and in 2015.
Burundi plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Nkurunziza decided to run his controversial third term bid, which he won in July 2015. His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015.

Xinhua