26 June 2015 – Following closely developments in Burundi, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today encouraged the authorities of this country to consider the postponing of the elections scheduled for July 15.
“Deeply concerned over the prevailing political and security environment in Burundi, the Secretary-General appeals to the Burundian authorities to seriously consider the proposal put forward by the Joint International Facilitation Team to postpone the elections further in order to create a conducive environment for inclusive, peaceful and transparent elections”, reads a statement made available this morning by the UN Spokesperson.
Such a decision would be in line with the recent decisions of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the Summit of the East African Community, points out the statement.
“The Secretary-General reiterates his appeal to all Burundian political leaders to address the current political crisis through dialogue in the larger interest of the people of Burundi, in order to consolidate peace and security and further strengthen national reconciliation.”
The statement commends the efforts of the Joint International Facilitation Team, comprising the East African Community, the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the United Nations to assist the Burundian parties “to reach consensus on the way forward to ensure peaceful and credible elections in their country.”
“In Burundi, the neglected violent past has become a major obstacle for the country’s future,” said last week Pablo de Greiff, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.
He specifically highlighted the lack of transparency in political parties, the “instrumentalization” of, or outright disregard for the judiciary, the ignorance for the rights of citizens, and the increased manipulation of ethnicity in the country.
Warning that the governing party and its youth militia use violence to limit freedom of speech and hate speech to obtain certain electoral outcome, the independent expert stressed the utmost importance to disarm those youth militias.
“Voters must be free to support or to oppose any political party…without undue influence or coercion of any kind which may distort or inhibit the free expression of the elector’s will,” Mr. de Greiff underscored.
Source: UN News Centre
Leave a Reply