Candidates in the May 20 general elections in Burundi are continuing the electoral campaign launched on April 27 despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
In this country of the Great Lakes region which has registered 15 cases of Covid-19, the electoral campaign for the presidential, legislative and municipal elections is punctuated by large rallies.
For the presidential election, in which incumbent leader Pierre Nkurunziza, is not running, six candidates are seeking the votes of the 5,126,351 registered voters, according to the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI), headed by Pierre Claver Kazihise.
The ruling party, the National Council for the Defence of Democracy-Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), has endorsed General Evariste Ndayishimiye seen as the favourite candidate to succeed President Nkurunziza.
But he will have to cross swords with the main opponent, Agathon Rwasa, candidate of the National Council for Liberty (CNL), who also draws crowds in the capital, Bujumbura, and in the provinces.
In 2015, during the last general elections won by the CNDD-FDD, CENI had registered more than 4 million voters.
TE/lb/abj/APA