The Burundian Ombudsman, Edouard Nduwimana, organizes, on 5 January, a session to explain to the inhabitants of Bujumbura the amendments made to the current Constitution which will be submitted to the referendum in May 2018.
Edouard Nduwimana, Burundian Ombudsman explaining the content of the draft constitution to Bujumbura inhabitants
He calls on them to vote ‘Yes’. We have come to explain to you the content of the draft amendment to the constitution to which we are all called to vote ‘yes’, said the Ombudsman.
For him, Burundians should not worry about the plan to amend the constitution. “Even in other countries they do it,” he told the residents of Bujumbura.
He mentioned the case of Tanzania, Rwanda, Austria … He explained that the new constitution will strengthen national sovereignty, political and economic independence of the country adding that the draft constitution stipulates that the only way to come to power is to win the elections. “So, you are granted the absolute right to participate in decision making,” says Nduwimana.
“Seeing how you are fascinated by my explanations, I do not doubt that you will vote ‘yes’ in the upcoming referendum,” he says.
On 12 December, Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza officially launched the campaign for the constitutional referendum in Bugendana commune of Gitega province.
For the spokesperson for the Independent National Electoral Commission [CENI], Prosper Ntahorwamiye, the moment to teach the population to vote ‘yes or no’ in the upcoming constitutional referendum has not yet come. “Members of the government are now explaining to the population the content of the draft constitution” says Ntahorwamiye, stating that the campaign to teach the population to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in the constitutional referendum will start 14 days before the polling day. He said the referendum will be held in May 2018 following CENI’s schedule.
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