This archive report was first published on 9 May 2020.
May 9, 2020 - Burundi is bracing for a tumultuous election season, with violence and hate speech already plaguing the first 10 days of presidential campaigns.
According to Pierre Nkurikiye, spokesman for the Public Security minister, confrontations between supporters of the ruling party's CNDD-FDD and the opposition CNL party, led by Agathon Rwasa, have led to the arrest of 64 people across the country.
A female member of the opposition CNL party was arrested last week in Mukongomanga commune, where she was accused of insulting the governor of Bujumbura rural, as told to The EastAfrican by Agathon Rwasa in Nairobi.
Four provinces - Kirundo, Ngozi, Kayanza, and Bujumbura - have witnessed violence during the campaigns, with one person killed and two injured in Kirundo province, according to the Burundian Attorney General.
The country is set to vote on May 20 to elect a successor to President Pierre Nkurunziza, who has been in office for 15 years.
The ruling party's nominee is Gen Evariste Ndayishimiye, while Agathon Rwasa of CNL is the main opposition candidate.
Some opposition leaders have surprisingly expressed their support for the ruling party's presidential candidate, Evariste Ndayishimiye.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Burundian diaspora will miss out on voting, as the national commission in charge of elections has been unable to organize polls abroad.
