Politics

CENI intends to exclude Kira-Burundi from 2020 elections, legal representative says

The Political Coalition Kira Burundi accuses the Electoral Commission of deliberately trying to exclude it from the upcoming 2020 elections. At a press conference held on 23 March, Aloys Baricako, Kira-Burundi legal representative referred to the fact that e CENI rejected all the candidacies submitted for the next legislative elections and those of communal councilors scheduled for May 2020.

Aloys Baricako, Legal Representative of Kira-Burundi political coalition in the left

” CENI is violating Article 90 of the Constitution stipulating that the electoral commission guarantees free, impartial and independent elections,” said Baricako, who believes that the validation of the candidacy of the representative of this coalition in the next presidential election by the Constitutional Court is a victory.

The Constitutional Court approved on 19 March the candidacy of Domitien Ndayizeye, representative of Kira-Burundi in the presidential election after appealing against CENI which had rejected this candidacy.

Baricako says this coalition has lodged a complaint to the same court against CENI after the latter announced on 19 March that all Kira-Burundi candidacies for the legislative elections had been rejected.

The representative of Kira-Burundi says that CENI accuses this coalition of coalescing with political independents and that the candidates’ files have been submitted by proxy. “CENI must apply Article 80 of the Constitution which guarantees non-interference in the internal functioning of political parties,” said Baricako.

Pierre Claver Kazihise, CENI chairman rejects Kira-Burundi accusations. He calls on all those who feel aggrieved to file a complaint to the Constitutional Court.