Burundi’s ruling CNDD-FDD party has indicated it will conditionally accept the call by East African leaders to delay the July 15 presidential election two weeks to July 30. Party chairman Pascal Nyabenda said any decision to delay the vote must ensure that the constitution, which mandates that presidential elections cannot go beyond July 26, is not violated. The constitution also states that the president-elect must be sworn in by August 26. Leaders of the East African Community, who met Monday in Tanzania, also named Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to mediate a dialogue between the Burundian government and the opposition.
The decision came after the ruling party told U.N. mediator Abdoulaye Bathily to stop his work because he began without first being received by the government.
“It has been taken a decision to delay this presidential election, but what we can say in our party is that everything we have to do, even if we respect the decision by these heads of state, we have to respect also our constitution. So, we will see. We will sit down and see what can be done by respecting our constitution,” he said.
Nyabenda commented on the constitutional mandate that the presidential election cannot go beyond July 26.
Full Article: Burundi’s Ruling Party Considers Delay of Presidential Vote.