Térence Manirambona, Spokesperson for CNL party says the code of conduct to media and journalists would facilitate cheating and bring discredit on the National Independent Electoral Commission. “Transparency and credibility of the elections would be questioned”, he says.
Abdul Kassim: “ Article should be reviewed”
Article10 of the code of conduct established by the National Media Regulator-CNC to the Burundian media and journalists, stipulates that journalists aren’t allowed either to publish or air by any channel whatsoever, including the internet, the provisional or final results of an election other than those officially announced by the National Independent Electoral Commission or its local Commissions.
According to him, this Article deprives consumers of information and especially contestants in elections to know in real time the results of the poll. “After counting votes in election offices, nothing should prevent journalists from publishing the results already official”, he says adding that the code will also allow CENI to get enough time to manipulate figures.
As for Abdul Kassim, Chairman of UPD Zigamibanga, the Article should be reviewed. “Journalists will help Burundians to know how the elections are progressing in a transparent way”, he says adding that they should announce how the process is going as it happened in 2005, 2010 and 2015. Otherwise, he says, the article seems to hide wrong activities conducted by those who are supervising the elections.
Nestor Bankumukunzi, Chairman of the National Media Regulator said the code of conduct concerns all national and foreign journalists and it has been established to prevent what happened in 2015.
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