Burundi Gets New President

Burundi has announced results of last week’s presidential election, with ruling party candidate as the winner of the poll.

Evariste Ndayishimiye, a retired army won 68.72 percent of the votes, while Agathon Rwasa, the main opposition leader, received 24.19 percent. The commission said the turnout was 88 percent.

Ndayishimiye was picked by the governing CNDD-FDD party to succeed outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose controversial decision to seek a third term in the last election in 2015 sparked mass unrest, violence and an opposition boycott.

Therence Manirambona, spokesman for the opposition National Freedom Council (CNL) said the party boycotted the announcement of results as it could not “back this farce”, repeating allegations of “massive fraud” during Wednesday’s election and the counting process.

“We have all the evidence and the real figures of these elections. We will seek justice,” Manirambona told
the German news agency dpa.

Before the officials results came in, Rwasa had already alleged foul play, saying early numbers showing his CNL party heading for a bruising defeat were a “fantasy”.

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The May 20 vote, which was contested by seven presidential hopefuls, is meant to usher in the first democratic transfer of power in 58 years of independence.

There were few international election monitors on Wednesday after the government said they would have to spend 14 days in quarantine to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Rwasa already hinted he would not take to the streets in protest and would appeal to the Constitutional Court, though he considers the process imperfect. The final election results will be declared by the Constitutional Court on June 4.