Burundi: Outgoing President passes away at 55

Outgoing President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza, aged 55, has died of a heart attack, the government announced in a statement Tuesday.

President Nkurunziza was admitted to hospital on Saturday after feeling unwell.

His condition then improved but on Monday he had a cardiac failure. “Immediate resuscitation was undertaken by a multidisciplinary team of doctors for several hours with cardio-respiratory assistance”, the Burundian government said. But “the medical team was unable to recover the patient.”

In power since 2005, Nkurunziza had surprised observers when he announced that he would not seek another term in office in the May 2020 presidential elections, although the new constitution, adopted by referendum in 2018, allows him to do so.

In January, lawmakers approved a legislation that would effectively hand the outgoing president a retirement package, including a one-time payment of one billion Burundian francs, a luxury villa built with public funds in the location of his choice within five years and benefits equivalent to those of a serving vice-president for seven years after he steps down.

Under the legislation, adopted with 98 votes for and two against, the former president was to receive a lifetime salary equal to that of a lawmaker.

 

Army General, Evariste Ndayishimiye, the candidate of Burundi’s ruling CNDD-FDD party to the May presidential elections was officially declared on June 4 winner of the presidential polls and successor to Pierre Nkurunziza.

 

Ndayishimiye, 52, will be invested in August for a seven-year term that can be renewed one time.