Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza Wins 'Deeply Flawed' Third Election Term With US, EU Donors Weighing Options
US secretary of state John Kerry has called Burundi's election "deeply flawed" and urged president Pierre Nkurunziza to hold a "meaningful, serious" dialogue with the central African country's opposition.
Mr Nkurunziza won a third term in office on Friday after the opposition boycotted the vote, accusing him of violating the constitution by running for re-election a third time.
"We are very happy with this result," said Pascal Nyabenda, the head of Nkurunziza's ruling CNDD-FDD party, while insisting the president would not be seeking a fourth term in 2020.
"These elections were well organised and took place in a situation of peace and security. I don't know why a section of the international community say they were not credible. They were free, transparent and took place in security."
Election observers from the East African Community, which tried but failed to mediate a solution to the crisis, also denounced the polls.
"The electoral process fell short of the principles and standards for holding free, fair, peaceful, transparent and credible elections," observers from the regional body said in a statement, describing turnout as "low to average in most polling stations visited."
The European Union said Thursday it would begin reviewing its cooperation with Burundi, including trade, political cooperation and development aid.
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini reiterated a threat to impose sanctions on "those whose action have led to or are leading to acts of violence and repression, to the serious violations of human rights or hindering the quest for a political solution" to the crisis.
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has urged calm and a political dialogue to end the crisis.
He took "note of the broadly peaceful conduct of polling" but called "on all parties to continue to remain calm and immediately resume an inclusive political dialogue to resolve their differences".
Fears of return to civil war
The incumbent president's decision to seek a third term plunged Burundi into its biggest crisis since an ethnically charged civil war ended in 2005.
Analysts say renewed conflict in the country could reignite ethnic Hutu-Tutsi violence, with the last civil war leaving at least 300,000 people dead.
He won 69 per cent of the vote and 16 out of 18 provinces in Tuesday's polls, handing him an immediate first-round victory, the election commission said.
The other two provinces were taken by his closest rival Agathon Rwasa, even though he had denounced the polls as illegitimate.
Mr Nkurunziza's candidacy provoked months of protests and an attempted coup in mid-May.
"What has just happened is the climax of a coup d'etat against the constitution by president Nkurunziza," Jean Minani, a prominent opposition leader, said.
"The opposition does not accept and will never accept that these were credible elections. We call on the international community not to recognise the results and to continue to push for real negotiations to prevent Burundi from going over the precipice."
Although eight candidates were on the ballot paper for the presidential polls, most withdrew from the race, with the closure of most independent media preventing them from campaigning.
Mr Nkurunziza's party also scored a widely expected landslide win in last month's parliamentary polls that were also boycotted by the opposition.
Source: Reuters and AFP
Mr Nkurunziza won a third term in office on Friday after the opposition boycotted the vote, accusing him of violating the constitution by running for re-election a third time.
"We are very happy with this result," said Pascal Nyabenda, the head of Nkurunziza's ruling CNDD-FDD party, while insisting the president would not be seeking a fourth term in 2020.
"These elections were well organised and took place in a situation of peace and security. I don't know why a section of the international community say they were not credible. They were free, transparent and took place in security."
Election observers from the East African Community, which tried but failed to mediate a solution to the crisis, also denounced the polls.
"The electoral process fell short of the principles and standards for holding free, fair, peaceful, transparent and credible elections," observers from the regional body said in a statement, describing turnout as "low to average in most polling stations visited."
The European Union said Thursday it would begin reviewing its cooperation with Burundi, including trade, political cooperation and development aid.
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini reiterated a threat to impose sanctions on "those whose action have led to or are leading to acts of violence and repression, to the serious violations of human rights or hindering the quest for a political solution" to the crisis.
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has urged calm and a political dialogue to end the crisis.
He took "note of the broadly peaceful conduct of polling" but called "on all parties to continue to remain calm and immediately resume an inclusive political dialogue to resolve their differences".
Fears of return to civil war
The incumbent president's decision to seek a third term plunged Burundi into its biggest crisis since an ethnically charged civil war ended in 2005.
Analysts say renewed conflict in the country could reignite ethnic Hutu-Tutsi violence, with the last civil war leaving at least 300,000 people dead.
He won 69 per cent of the vote and 16 out of 18 provinces in Tuesday's polls, handing him an immediate first-round victory, the election commission said.
The other two provinces were taken by his closest rival Agathon Rwasa, even though he had denounced the polls as illegitimate.
Mr Nkurunziza's candidacy provoked months of protests and an attempted coup in mid-May.
"What has just happened is the climax of a coup d'etat against the constitution by president Nkurunziza," Jean Minani, a prominent opposition leader, said.
"The opposition does not accept and will never accept that these were credible elections. We call on the international community not to recognise the results and to continue to push for real negotiations to prevent Burundi from going over the precipice."
Although eight candidates were on the ballot paper for the presidential polls, most withdrew from the race, with the closure of most independent media preventing them from campaigning.
Mr Nkurunziza's party also scored a widely expected landslide win in last month's parliamentary polls that were also boycotted by the opposition.
Source: Reuters and AFP
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