Burundi Vote Campaign Begins in Shadow of Violence and Covid-19

Presidential candidate Evariste Ndayishimiye of the Burundi's ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), addresses supporters during a campaign rally at the Bugendana Stadium in Gitega Province, Burundi April 27, 2020. Evrard Ngendakumana/Reuters

NAIROBI—Burundi’s political parties started campaigning for next month’s presidential elections on April 27 despite opposition accusations of intimidation and the ongoing global CCP virus crisis.

With only one death and 15 COVID-19 cases found in minimal testing, authorities are pressing on with the May 20 vote for a successor to President Pierre Nkurunziza, an ex-rebel leader in power since the end of a civil war in 2005 that killed 300,000 people.