28 Aug 2008: ISS Today: Democracy Yet to Take Root in Burundi

 28 August 2008: Democracy Yet To Take Root In Burundi

 


In June 2008, the Constitutional Court of Burundi – at the request of the current speaker - declared that 22 members of parliament (MP’s), former members of the ruling party, were occupying their positions unconstitutionally. They have now been replaced.


The parliament now has to make a decision on two more cases of unconstitutionality, at the request of two leaders of the main opposition party, the Front Démocratique du Burundi (FRODEBU). Should these cases go through, more than fifty percent of MP’s will have been replaced.


These events constitute another blow to the reputation of the ruling party and follow a series of problems amongst the political elite of Burundi.


From the time the new government of President Pierre Nkurunzizacame into power in August 2005 excesses were continuously reported by civil society, human rights organisations and the media - organisations destined to act as watchdogs over public institutions. The abuse of power was a disillusioning experience for the citizens of Burundi who were expecting radical changes after years of civil strife.


The ruling party had positioned itself beyond the reach of other institutions. By the end of 2006, after just over a year of being in power, the ruling party had registered a number of blows to its integrity in and outside of Burundi. These include:

 

  • Cases of corruption, including the sale of the infamous Falcon 50 presidential aircraft and the absence of due process in handling major public tenders,

  • Human rights abuses, including an arbitrary execution of 33 men in the northern part of the country,

  • Illegal imprisonment and torture, including that of former President DomitienNdayizeye and his Vice-President Alphonse Kadege, as a result of a fabricated case accusing them of plotting a coup d’état.

 

During that period, civil society leaders and the media suffered the most humiliating treatment for disclosing the facts of these incidents to the public. Journalists reported harassments, illegal imprisonment and beatings by the police and intelligence services.


The year 2007 was as a particularly dark period for the ruling party. The leadership changed and as a result, the party was divided. One group decided to stay with the old leadership and the other changed allegiance to the new leaders, supported by President Nkurunziza.


As events unfolded, the former President of the ruling party Hussein Radjabu was prosecuted for treason and for insulting the Head of State. He is now serving thirteen years in jail.


Those events hit the parliament hard. Some members of the ruling party in parliament officially pulled out of the party. The speaker was replaced as well as members of the parliament secretariat.


Then followed the recent dismissal of the MP’s. These abuses of power and the rule of law are coupled by a high level of mistrust among political parties. One of the examples attesting to this is a national census project that failed to get off the ground, due to alleged corruption and political manipulation.


The recruitment of census agents was initially based on objective criteria such as educational levels and written and aptitude tests. After the selected candidates were officially informed of the pre-training dates and venues, it came as a surprise to all involved that forged lists of new candidates were being referred to, instead of the initially selected candidates. In an official declaration, FRODEBU denounced pre-election ‘rigging’ manoeuvres by the ruling party, stating that the new census agents are members of the party, tasked to establish a ‘voters’ roll’, counting, among others, minors, fictitious names and foreigners for the 2010 elections.


These events are disturbing for any observer given that the government is yet to implement the latest peace agreement with theForces Nationales de Libération – Parti pour la Libération du Peuple Hutu (FNL-PALIPEHUTU). Challenges for the implementation range from an alleged continuous recruitment of new combatants by the movement to the government’s refusal to allow its transformation into a political party.


Is it too early to despair? The main point is that the population needs a government that can meet their basic needs and dispense with the culture of patronage. In the midst of mounting impunity, escalating conflicts over land and an economic crisis dubbed ‘vie chère’, Burundians are subjugated to partisan stakes, with politicians already bracing themselves for the 2010 election campaign.


It is safe to conclude that the country is yet to see liberal democratic principles taking root. It is also yet to reap the fruits of immense efforts of various actors in re-building a country torn apart by more than a decade of conflict. The ruling party is put on the spot here, but other parties are no more democratic.


It is true that democracy is more than a plethora of political parties that have quasi-similar names and logos. It is also true that democracy is more than just talking about the ruling party’s mistakes. However, this is exactly what is going on in Burundi, with 39 parties and official declarations that are not always verified or verifiable.


Job Hlongwana, ISS programme administrator, Security Sector Governance programme