Burundi’s president Pierre Nkurunziza insisted on Wednesday he would run for a controversial third term in elections set for June, defying international pressure to refrain from trying to extend his rule, despite deadly protests. “If the people of Burundi put their trust in us, it will be the last mandate I seek, as determined by the Constitutional Court,”
Nkurunziza said in a televised speech. Holding an election was “the only solution” to the crisis triggered by his bid to prolong his 10-year tenure, he added. Opposition parties and civil society groups say Nkurunziza’s third-term quest violates both the constitution, which limits a president to two terms in office, and the accords that ended a 13-year civil war between Tutsis and Hutus in 2006.
The Constitutional Court found in favour of the rebel leader-turned-president in a ruling Tuesday, saying his first presidential term did not count as he was elected by parliament, not directly by the people. The government and opposition held talks on Wednesday to try to defuse the tensions. But the main opposition leader Agathon Rwasa said the crisis had already gone too far and demanded the June 26 vote be postponed, arguing the “credibility of the electoral process is already in doubt”. US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday he was “deeply concerned” about Nkurunziza’s bid to remain in power, which he said “flies directly in the face of the constitution”.
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