BUJUMBURA, June 4 — Burundi’s home minister has commended electoral stakeholders for the success of a three-week campaign for legislative and district elections scheduled for Thursday.
“We commend the local administration in various places countrywide, security forces, the civil society and religious groups for contributing to the success of the three-week campaign that ended on June 2,” Interior, Community Development and Public Security Minister Martin Niteretse told a press conference on Tuesday.
He said that political parties and independent candidates “calmly carried out their campaign and in serenity,” despite some irregularities that marred the electoral campaign in certain areas. Niteretse warned against attempts to disrupt the polling on Thursday.
“Anyone who disrupted the electoral campaign or who will attempt to disrupt the forthcoming elections due on June 5 will be sanctioned.”
He said that during the campaigning period, there were instances of attempts to disrupt rallies, destroy voter cards, and cases of flags of parties being uprooted and pictures and signs of independent candidates being removed.
Niteretse also pointed out a case of a political party member who was beaten, and other minor incidents that include attempting to prevent candidates from getting to places of rallies, and holding electoral campaigns beyond the authorized time slot.
“In all those cases, 99 percent of culprits have been arrested and are in the hands of the judiciary,” the minister said. “Even those who are on the run are actively being searched.
We will continue to track them down even after the elections.” Niteretse called for calm during the poll and urged all eligible voters to cast their ballots on Thursday.
In addition to the legislative and district elections due on June 5, Burundi will hold senatorial elections on July 23 and village-level elections on Aug. 25. The next presidential election is scheduled for 2027. (Xinhua)
