Burundian president urges citizens to register for elections before deadline

BUJUMBURA, Feb. 16 — Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza on
Tuesday urged citizens to report to voter registration centers before the
deadline of Feb. 17.

“I invite citizens with the voting age to go quickly to registration
centers before the expiry of the deadline,” Nkurunziza said after
registering for the forthcoming constitutional referendum due in May, and
the 2020 general elections, at his native village in northern Burundi. “We
should not waste time,” Nkurunziza said. Speaking at a press conference in
the Burundian capital Bujumbura on Tuesday, the chairman of the Burundian
National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI), Pierre Claver
Ndayicariye, said the ongoing voter registration operation is
“satisfactory.”

At least 56 percent of expected voters had registered as of Monday
afternoon, said Ndayicariye. CENI projected that over 4.45 million voters
will participate in the elections, said Ndayicariye. According to him,
over 2.5 million citizens have registered so far. A 10-day combined
registration of voters started last week on Feb. 8 and will be concluded on
Feb. 17. After registering, citizens are given receipts that will allow
them to get voter cards. In may, voters will be voting on a draft
constitution that extends the presidential term from five years provided
for in the 2005 constitution to seven years and allows the president to
serve two consecutive terms. The draft amendment also provides for the
creation of a post of a prime minister and only one vice-president, whereas
the 2005 constitution provided for two vice-presidents. – XINHUA