Burundi’s cabinet has adopted draft legislation seeking to amend the constitution, potentially allowing President Pierre Nkurunziza to rule up to 2034, a senior government official said on Friday.
Unrest triggered by Nkuruzinza’s continued rule has already gripped Burundi for two and a half years, leaving the economy moribund, killing hundreds and forcing about 400,000 people to seek safety in neighboring countries.
The official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, told Reuters the draft legislation was adopted on Tuesday.
NAN reports that the present constitution derives from the country’s 2000 peace agreement, which was signed in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha to end a 12-year civil war.
The Arusha accord stipulates clearly that no president can govern the country for more than 10 years.
Burundi is mired in a deep political crisis, triggered when opposition groups, determined to defend the Arusha requirement, protested against elections in April 2015 that enabled Nkurunziza to stay on for a third five-year term.
The victory of the 53-year-old leader plunged the country into turmoil, with hundreds killed in ensuing unrest. Nearly 400,000 have fled the country.
The UN, the EU and the AU have previously asked the government not to step away from the Arusha agreement to avoid further inflaming the crisis.
The draft constitution changes say “the president of the republic is elected for a seven-year term which is renewable” but adds, “no president can govern for more than two consecutive terms”.
In theory, this could mean that Nkurunziza could be elected in 2020 and be re-elected seven years later, together making a 14-year additional run.
In December 2016, the president indicated he could run again in 2020 “if the people request it”.
The draft text also sets down a significant change to government structure, creating the post of a vice president tasked with “assisting” the head of state.
The vice president will come from an ethnic group and party that differ from those of the president, but will not wield significant powers.
At present, there are two vice presidents, who come from different ethnicities, who also do not have real power.
Under the new constitution, a post of prime minister will be created, drawn from the party which wins the election, and this individual will also be head of government.
At present, the head of state is also head of government.
The constitutional draft would also scrap a current ban on any party holding more than 80 per cent of the seats in the National Assembly, regardless of their electoral score.
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