Hundreds of Thousands of Burundian ruling party supporters on Wednesday marched, shouted and chanted slogans in the Bugendana, Gitega Province as President Pierre Nkurunziza opened referendum campaigns to amend the constitution.
The campaigns will run for two weeks until May 14, 2018 and polling will occur on the 17th May.
The process started on Tuesday May 1, but according to the Independent National Electoral Commission(CENI) boss Pierre Claver Ndayicariye, the political actors were honouring the international Labour Day and postponed launch of campaigns to Wednesday 2, 2018.
“But because of the International Day (1st of May) all political leaders focused their activities to that day,” Mr Ndayicariye told TrumpetNews.
Officially Mr Nkurunziza and his party (CNDD-FDD) opened the rally in Gitega Province, in the Commune of Bugendana
“Honorable Agathon Rwasa who is an independent opened his electoral rally in Ngozi, his native province,” Ndayicariye added.
The ruling party considers Wednesday as the first day of the rally.
Also another opposition party- FRODEBU is participating in this democratic process.
Mr Ndayicariye said that according to electoral law, a rally opens at 06.00am in the morning and ends at 06.00pm in the evening
“Our Electoral Commission has received 26 political parties and 1 Independent who registered themselves to participate in the electoral rally (May 1- May 14, 2018),” he further stated.
Ndayicariye appealed to all participants in the process to observe the electoral laws, “According to our law, to get a venue of tout meeting you must send a letter to the head of the Commune (we call him Communal Administrator).”
