Burundi: Democracy in Peril - Burundi's Referendum Will Cement Nkurunziza's Grip On Power

analysis

The citizens of Burundi, the small country in Central Africa that borders Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are about to vote in a controversial referendum.

The vote is likely to result in a set of amendments to Burundi's constitution that will effectively consolidate the dominance of the ruling party, the National Council for the Defence of Democracy - Forces for the Defence of Democracy, or CNDD-FDD. This is a decisive moment in the country's history. It may prove to be the final nail in the coffin of the Arusha Accords of 2000, which led to the constitution being ratified in 2005. And it may lead the country further down the path of electoral authoritarianism.

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