Aug. 9, 2010 issue
MCC Burundi, partners support peaceful elections by monitoring
By Chad Umble Mennonite Central CommitteePage:
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AKRON, Pa. — Mennonite Central Committee and its local partners in Burundi are supporting efforts to monitor voting and election conflicts, hoping to minimize violence during a tense series of elections.
At least five elections are scheduled between late May and late September in Burundi. The elections are the first since rebel groups laid down their weapons in 2008, officially ending a 15-year civil war in this central African nation, one of the 10 poorest in the world.
Twelve political parties, which were rebel groups during the civil war, contested the results of the May elections, which gave 64 percent of the vote to the ruling party, The National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy.
The 12 parties boycotted the June 28 presidential election, in which incumbent Pierre Nkurunziza was re-elected with 77 percent voter turnout.
Overall, the election was relatively peaceful, though about 60 grenade attacks were reported, killing eight people and wounding more than 50. The ruling party and the former rebels have been blamed for the attacks.
Despite distrust of the May election results, election observers remain hopeful that their work will help all political groups accept the results, said Rebecca Mosley, an MCC representative in Burundi with her husband, Paul.
“More substantial information could help pave the way for compromise by both sides,” she said.
Before the elections, MCC and its partners joined with other historic peace church organizations to form the Quaker Peace Network. The group trained more than 200 election observers.
“The presence of election observers may actually discourage incidents of election fraud,” Rebecca Mosley said.
Mapping violence, peace
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