One year before the end of his 7 years mandate, the Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye is panicking and desperately attempting to skip or simplify Presidential elections scheduled for 2027. The dictator seems to be worried that his defacto single party regime might not be a guaranteed second term. Ndayishimiye, aka Neva, has lost control of the ruling party CNDD-FDD, and is fearful that the party might field a different candidate.
“Elections will cost 80 billion Burundian Francs”, Ndayishimiye complained in his opening speech at the so-called “Presidential Campaign Education” launch. In reality, Ndayishimiye cooked up the educational campaign as a secret way to begin campaigning illegally but also to set impossible terms for potential rivals within his party. “A presidential candidate must not be corrupt, he must only have one wife, etc…”, Ndayishimiye ranted on and on about just before complaining about the cost of elections. “We should use that money to build schools and colleges”, he lamented.
To most observers, Ndayishimiye was panicked in his speech, and his panic is understandable. Since 2020, Burundi sank into deeper poverty cementing its global position ranking as the poorest country in the world. For 6 years, the country has been unable to purchase more than a week’s worth of fuel causing the entire transport system to collapse. The lack of foreign currency and meaningful export products (other than tea and coffee), pushed inflation to new highs averaging 50%-60%.
In 6 years, Ndayishimiye’s army faced defeat after defeat in Congo where the despot illegally deployed closed to 20,000 ill-equipped and ill-trained troops constantly facing humiliating defeats. The death toll, estimated to be in thousands, added to the humiliation. Politically, Ndayishimiye also failed in his attempt to change the ruling party’s Secretary General. “Naturally, Neva is worried about his reelection. He failed in managing the economy, security and even basic politics”, an influential member of the ruling party explained, “6 years after, we have nothing to show in a campaign”.
Critically, Ndayishimiye has been accused of being weak to the point of letting the first lady and in-laws govern Burundi. Powerful hardlines in his party will certainly not agree to continue under the dictates of Ndayishimiye’s wife and in-laws. Aware of a potential revolt within his rank, Ndayishimiye is now circulating the idea of a very simplified Presidential poll.
ellenkampire