Burundian President Nkurunziza Wins Third Term Amidst Months of Unrest

Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza recently won a third term in office after receiving 69.41 percent of the vote on Tuesday. Nkurunziza’s win was widely expected, as opposition parties openly boycotted the election. Although Nkurunziza will remain in office for at least one more term, the results of the election are disputed because voter turn out was fairly low, with a national average of 73.44 percent and 29.75 percent in Burundi’s capital. Burundians were left with no good choices in the Presidential election, as despite Nkurunziza’s unconstitutional run, his competitor also had a disturbing history.

Nkurunziza’s main opposer in the election, Agathon Rwasa, received 18.99 percent of the overall vote, which did not come as a surprise due to his violent history while he was the head of the National Liberation Forces and authorized various attacks against Burundian citizens.

When Nkurunziza announced his intents to run for a third term in April, Burundi plunged into chaos as he blatantly usurped the small nation’s constitution. As a result, in mid-May, a Burundian military committee launched a coup in attempt to oust the leader, but ultimately failed. Violence in Burundi erupted in the immediate aftermath of the coup and continued into the days leading into the election. In June, human rights groups estimated the Burundian violence to have cost at least 70 lives and caused more than 500 injuries. After all was said and done, more than 175,000 Burundians fled the nation to seek refuge in other countries in the region.

The exact implications of Nkurunziza’s win remain to be seen, but Burundi may be on the brink of spiraling into a war similar to the twelve-year civil war that was ended by the country’s formation of the constitution Nkurunziza violated by seeking a third term.

The day after losing the election, Rwasa called on Nkurunziza to talk with opposition party leaders in attempt to form a national unity government in order to prevent an uprising from participants of the failed coup. Nkurunziza was reportedly open to the idea of a national unity government, however no discussions have been held since Nkurunziza’s victory. On Thursday, the European Union announced their preparation in adopting sanctions against, “those whose actions led to acts of violence, repression and serious human rights abuses or hinder the search for a political solution,” namely Nkurunziza. The US has also issued visa bans on various Burundian leaders, however they remain as yet unnamed. The fate of Burundi remains to be seen.