BUJUMBURA August 17th (ABP) – The Union for National Progress (UPRONA) party, on Saturday August 14, 2021, organized an ordinary congress in which it validated the elections of new leaders for the head of the party. These are Olivier Nkurunziza as party chairman, David Mukanya as vice chairman and Jean de Dieu Niyonkuru as secretary general.
Olivier Nkurunziza was general secretary of the UPRONA party, David Mukanya was provincial secretary of the UPRONA party in Rumonge and Jean de Dieu Niyonkuru provincial secretary of this party in Rutana and both were members of the executive board of the central committee of the UPRONA party.
In an interview with ABP on Monday August 16, 2021, the new UPRONA party boss Olivier Nkurunziza said the outgoing team had completed its three-year term on August 14, 2020. But according to the statutes of the party, if this period coincides with the electoral deadlines, the three-year mandate is extended up to four years in order to be able to prepare for the elections.
Indeed, this case happened in 2020. The team continued to lead the party to prepare and organize the elections, which justifies the holding of the congress last weekend. He pointed out that preparations for the elections require a lot of resources. The party leadership convened the party’s central committee for February 27, 2021 and the party decided to hold communal congresses in April, then provincials in May and finally the national congress was held this weekend. During that congress, three party members were removed from that party. They are Gaston Sindimwo, former 1st Vice-President of the Republic of Burundi, currently a member of the National Assembly, Anicet Niyongabo, former Vice-President of the Burundian Senate and Isidore Mbayahaga, current Director General of ONATOUR. According to Mr. Nkurunziza, they are accused of acts of sabotaging the activities of the party. The executive board decided to exclude them. He said that the party’s statutes stipulate that “any decision taken by the party organs such as the central committee and the executive board, the congress can cancel or validate them”. However, the congress of August 14, 2021 validated the exclusion of these three members of the party and this decision will be respected by the current leadership.
Asked what will follow, if they are going to be removed from their current functions, Olivier Nkurunziza replied that they will see what the law of the land says. They will analyze the various texts that govern the country such as the electoral code, the national assembly and that it is the Constitutional Court that will rule on the case.