Wednesday 21 July 2010

Burundi - can the elections be fair?

At the ned of this week the people of Burundi go to the polls. But in asituation where there is little choice can the elections be fair?
Listed below are some recommended sources where you can find more.

CENI is the official electoral commission website. It has information in French. It contains news releases, lists of candidates and legal texts on the conduct of the elections.
CSIS has a good introductory guide to understanding the elections.
Organisations which have reaised concerns about polictical violence in the region.
include Human Rights Watch which argyued that the earlier presidential elections were marred by violence.
The International Crisis Group also echoes this in its reports.
Syracuse University Impunity Watch also criticises the lack of democracy in the region.
The Afro online news agency has some comment from African observers.Other news stories can be found in the Buruni Tribune and IRIN News the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.) The latter also emphasises the tensions.
Another really good websites which links to basic factual information and pre poll asessments from observers is the EISA profile compiled by Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa
You should also consult som eof the observers websites for updates from the scene. These include:
the EU observer mission
Caritas
The East African Community

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