Election observers forced into quarantine in Burundi

The Burundian government has told the East African Community (EAC) that any election observers it sends will be quarantined for 14-days on arrival to ensure they do not have covid-19.

The election is just nine days away, meaning any officials sent by the EAC would not be able to fulfil their role of scrutinizing the electoral process.

Burundi’s minister for East African affairs, Isabelle Ndahayo, proposed to the regional bloc in a letter that any EAC staff already present in the country could take up the role of observers.

Election observers from the United Nations and civil society have already been barred from monitoring the process.

The last time Burundi held an election, in 2015, regional and international bodies were critical of the process, saying it lacked transparency, was not free or fair.

Campaigning this year has been fraught, as frequent reports of violence and intimidation used against members of the opposition, National Congress for Liberty, and its supporters have become commonplace.

[Photo: AFP]