Without any fanfare or even a public announcement beforehand, Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza was sworn in for a third term on Thursday in this central African country which has been plagued by political violence which has left more than 100 people dead and tens of thousands of refugees.
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Nkurunziza is to take the oath of office, presidential communications chief Willy Nyamitwe said, in a surprise ceremony ahead of an August 26 deadline, when his previous mandate ends.
His third time period has been condemned as unconstitutional by the opposition and provoked months of protests. There have been a string of killings since his reelection, including of a top general, killed in a rocket attack last month.
The United Nations observer mission stated the vote final month was not “inclusive, free and credible” and was held “in an setting of profound distrust” between political rivals.
Nkurunziza won 69.41 percent of the vote, an immediate first round victory.
That war pitted rebels from the majority Hutu people against an army dominated by the minority Tutsi.
Burundi’s government says a number of countries apologised for not sending their delegates, because of the change of date.
The president’s new five-year term has been criticized by some as violating the constitution and the Arusha accord that effectively ended Burundi’s 13-year civil war.
He was selected by Parliament in 2005 and elected in 2010.
The African Union, European Union and the US State Department have all expressed concern that July’s election was not free and fair.
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AU chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Sunday referred to as for “utmost restraint” by all sides, warning of potential “catastrophic penalties” for troubled Burundi and the broader area if rivals don’t resolve political variations peacefully.
