CIBITOKE, October 11th (ABP) – The UPRONA party wants to keep the status quo of article 289 in relation to ethnic quotas in the national Constitution.
For its leader Olivier Nkurunziza, “this article does not cause any problem for Burundian citizens after so many years of crises. The time to remove it has not yet arrived and this is to avoid the risk of reliving ethnic divisions. We must give the chance to future generations, who will judge whether it is necessary to change.” This statement was made on October 8, at the headquarters of Cibitoke province, during a meeting of the said party, for gatherings and presentation of the bodies of the three new communes, and seven zones of the former Cibitoke province.
Mr. Nkurunziza opposes any kind of exclusion in positions of responsibility. He reassured the members of his party running against the leaders and those who change political parties, by telling them that the priority of UPRONA is the gathering of its members and the organization of the party, following the new administrative division, before the electoral deadline.
Concerning the problems facing the country, he called on them to tackle development by working in cooperatives, to overcome unemployment and poverty. He declared that UPRONA cohabits peacefully with other political parties, and winked at those who still have distrust against their political adversaries. Note that this meeting was preceded by a small parade, as part of the celebration of the 62nd anniversary of the victory of that party.