Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza. The United Nations says the
country is not ready to hold elections yet. FILE PHOTO | NATION
Burundi is not ready to hold credible
elections because the ruling party and its allies remain firmly in
control of political life and tensions remain high, a UN envoy said
Monday.
In power since 2005,
Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza is leading a push for a referendum
in May on changes to the constitution that would allow him to run in
elections in 2020.
UN envoy Michel
Kafando told the UN Security Council that the political situation
remains "tense" in Burundi and that conditions are not right for
elections.
"Only the majority party
and some other allied political groups are able to conduct unobstructed
political activities," said Kafando, adding that the economy was
suffering as a result of the turmoil.
"Such a situation cannot be suitable for the organisation of credible elections."
Nkurunziza's third term
When Nkurunziza ran for a third term in 2015
and won, his victory sparked a crisis and violence that has left at
least 1,200 dead and driven more than 400,000 into exile.
The
president has refused to hold talks with the opposition, despite a
mediation set up by regional countries under former Tanzanian president
Benjamin Mkapa.
Kafando, who briefly
served as president of Burkina Faso, said that while the security
situation had improved, human rights abuses continue to be reported.
Burundi's
Ambassador Albert Shingiro said the country was working to create a
"suitable environment for democratic, free, transparent and peaceful
elections" in 2020.
He asked the
council to remove Burundi from its agenda "because the situation in the
country is generally calm and poses no threat to international peace and
security."
In a report presented to
the council this month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticised
Nkurunziza's move to hold a constitutional referendum, saying changes
to the charter must be done in an "inclusive" manner.
A UN commission of inquiry set up in 2016 has found that crimes against humanity have been committed in the violence in Burundi.
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