June 15: Incoming president takes office June 18
Burundi will swear in president-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye on Thursday, June 18; the AFP news agency reports citing an official source. The development comes a week since the death of outgoing Pierre Nkurunziza.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a note verbale invited heads of diplomatic missions to the event which is slated for the stade Ingoma in the capital, Gitega.
Ndayishimiye was originally supposed to be invested in August after winning May 20 polls which the opposition unsuccessfully contested in court.
The death of Nkurunziza created a vacuum which experts expected the speaker of the national assembly to occupy by cabinet last week ,sought judicial direction on the vacuum. The Constitutional Court ruled late last week that the president-elect be sworn in as soon as possible.
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UPDATE #Burundi: The ministry of foreign affairs invites the heads of diplomatic missions to attend the swearing in ceremony of Evariste Ndayishimiye on June 18th, 2020. https://t.co/1Ewvzerz8G pic.twitter.com/J0jaMEEe7J— iBurundi (@iburundi) June 15, 2020
June 13: Incoming president eulogizes Nkurunziza
Burundi’s president-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye today visited the presidency where he signed a book of condolence opened for the late president Pierre Nkurunziza.
He arrived at Ntare House along with his wife and an entourage, signing the book of condolence opened since Wednesday before delivering an address in which he eulogized his predecessor.
The Constitutional Court directed on Friday that there was no need for an interim president and that as president-elect, Ndayishimiye should be sworn in as soon as possible. There has not been any dates announced by government yet.
Cabinet, led by first VP Gaston Sindimwo, had sought interpretation of relevant transition laws at a time when most analysts said National Assembly speaker Pascal Nyabenda was expected to be sworn in till the investiture in August of the president-elect.
? Ça se passe en ce moment même: GeneralNeva signe dans le livre de Condoléances au Palais NtareHouse. #Burundi pic.twitter.com/gr0sWMn33s— Amb. Willy Nyamitwe (@willynyamitwe) June 13, 2020
June 12: Burundi court rules president-elect should be sworn in
Burundi’s should swear-in president-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye as incumbent as soon as possible, the country’s Constitutional Court ruled today.
Cabinet, led by the First Vice President, at an extraordinary session on Thursday referred transition issues to the court seeking interpretation of relevant laws.
The vacuum at the presidency was occasioned by the death on Monday of Pierre Nkurunziza, who had been president since 2005 and was due to hand over to Ndayishimiye in August.
Experts said the speaker of parliament, Pascal Nyabenda, should have been appointed acting president – which situation did not take place.
Ndayishimiye, run on the ticket of the ruling CNDD-FDD party, winning the
