A delayed opening of voters registration offices and a low participation of voters are the irregularities observed this Monday 9 December, the first day of partial registration of voters for the upcoming 2020 elections.
A voter being registered in one of Bujumbura offices
At 10am, a person was registering in the office located at Fine school, in Musama V neighborhood in Kanyosha area. Two observers from UPRONA and CNL parties were already at the registration office.
Jean Marie Nzambimana, a member of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), indicates that since 7:30 am, only five people had already registered. “Maybe people have not been informed about this registration process,” he says.
CENI announced on 7 November that the posting of provisional lists of voters and the partial registration of voters for the next elections would begin this Monday 9 December.
The current registration process concerns Burundians who had not registered for the constitutional referendum of May 2018, namely repatriated Burundians.
No one has registered at the office located at Kanyosha High School. Long lists of voters are displayed on class walls. On the desk, only one representative of UPRONA was already at the place.
Rosine Fiesta Irakoze, an observer from the Civil Society said that since the opening, five people had already registered in that office. She also deplores the lack of material to stick these lists of voters on the walls. “There are lists we have not posted yet.”
Bizimana Terence, chairman of the Provincial National Electoral Commission (CEPI) in Bujumbura explains that this delay is due to the late allocation of materials in the registration office. Compared to the last constitutional referendum of May 2018, Bizimana says they do not expect a large number of voters to be registered.
The partial voters’ registration process for the 2020 elections will last 4 days from 09 to 12 December.
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