Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bujumbura (Fides Service) -“The referendum on the new Constitution was postponed for reasons which were purely technical and have nothing to do with politics” local sources in Bujumbura, capital Burundi, told Fides with regard to a decision to postpone a referendum on the new Constitution scheduled for 20 October. Yesterday 30 September the independent electoral commission announced the postponement of a referendum on the draft of a new Constitution approved by Parliament on 17 September in a vote boycotted by 82 of 271 members. In effect Tutsi parties asked their representatives not to take part in the vote.
“The Commission’s decision was taken for reasons which were practical, not political. They said it was impossible to organise a consultation in twenty days in a country still at war. There are no electoral lists and this means not even the names of eligible voters are known,” the source told Fides
“The decision was met with almost unanimous consensus. Everyone agreed it was better to wait and take time to organise the referendum properly than to hold the vote immediately and face criticism and possible irregularities”.
When the new constitution has been approved there will be general elections to elect a new parliament and president. The present “interim” institutions were formed as a result of the agreement signed in 2000 in Arusha which also stipulated power sharing between Hutu and Tutsi. The agreement established a period of 18 with a Tutsi president and Hutu vice-president followed by the opposite arrangement for the next 18 months. This complex scheme should help overcome old tribal rivalries and conflict.
With difficulty Burundi is recovering from 12 years of civil war in which at least 300,000 people died. After the agreement in Arusha, another important step on the path to peace was a pact signed in Pretoria 8 October 2003 between the government and the Forces for the Defence of Democracy. This agreement gave the rebels the vice presidency and 40% of army officers posts and 35% of police officer posts. A group 3,000 African peacekeepers from South Africa, Ethiopia and Mozambique were deployed in Burundi to monitor respect for the agreement.
No agreement has been signed with the other rebel group Forces of National Liberation (FLN), which has control of the highlands around the capital, Bujumbura. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 1/10/2004 righe 41 parole 481)
