Burundi Votes amid Contentious Political Atmosphere

Despite threats from the European Union of withdrawing more aid money, Burundians ushered in a new parliament this week, with incumbent president Pierre Nkurunziza seeking a third time in office, notes Reuters. According to critics, Nkurunziza’s candidacy is a violation of the constitution, and many are unsatisfied with his handling of the economy. Burundi is a land-locked country in East Africa, and it is one of the poorest nations on the continent.

Despite threats from the European Union of withdrawing more aid money, Burundians ushered in a new parliament this week, with incumbent president Pierre Nkurunziza seeking a third time in office, notes Reuters. According to critics, Nkurunziza’s candidacy is a violation of the constitution, and many are unsatisfied with his handling of the economy. Burundi is a land-locked country in East Africa, and it is one of the poorest nations on the continent.

Burundi is in a tight situation as many western nations have already withheld donation funds in response to the election. The European Union withdrew voting observers, and the African Union saw no reason to send in overseers, believing the voting process would be unfair. Violence and protests have erupted across the country, as many believe the election process is inherently corrupt. None of this bodes well for a country on the verge of losing crucial economic aid. Its economy has been shattered by over a decade of conflict, which has led to rampant poverty throughout the nation.

From 1993 to 2000, over 300,000 people were killed during the conflict, with more than one million people fleeing the country as refugees. The conflict arose between ethnic rivalries between Hutu and Tutsi groups, much in the same way as Rwanda and Congo, and the ongoing war devastated Burundi’s vital agriculture sector. The fighting left 80 percent of people in poverty shortly after the war, and over 66 percent of people in the East African nation live below the poverty line, as of 2006. With that, Burundi has seen somewhat of a resurgence in recent years. For instance, the government formed a campaign known as “Vision 2025,” a plan that would decrease poverty throughout the country by that date. The government is also trying to attract foreign investment, but officials must first address issues of corruption and political turmoil before becoming an attractive option to the world, and the nation’s overreliance on agriculture highlights the need for economic diversification. However, there are plenty of investment opportunities in the African country, including food processing, textiles and pharmaceuticals. 

Officials must also tackle such factors as illiteracy rates, drought conditions, and lower life expectancies. Burundians live an average of 54 years, as of 2013, according to World Bank data. Citizens must also contend with a lack of infrastructure and access to clean water, including a shortage of medical facilities that are crucial in treating such diseases as AIDS and malaria. The government is working on combating such diseases, but the sporadic violence seen during the parliamentary elections shows that the country has a long way to go in fostering economic stability.