Burundi elections 2005: Encyclopedia II - Burundi elections 2005 - 28 February 2005 Constitutional Referendum

Burundi elections 2005 - 28 February 2005 Constitutional Referendum

The new constitution guarantees representation for both ethnic groups by setting out the share of posts they will have in parliament and government and the army, which had been dominated by Tutsis since independence. Most political parties urged a "Yes" vote in the poll, but some Tutsi parties urged a "No" vote, stating that the new constitution doesn’t give Tutsis enough guarantees. Election day was peaceful and no major incidents were reported. Voter turnout was high and the final results showed overwhelming support for the new constitution.

Burundi elections 2005 - Main Points of the Constitution

• The ethnic composition of the National Assembly is 60% Hutu and 40% Tutsi. Three additional seats are reserved for members of the Twa ethnic group, which makes up approximately one percent of the national population.
• In the upper house of parliament, the Senate, seats are evenly divided (50%-50%) between Hutus and Tutsis.
• Military posts are to be shared equally between the two groups.

Burundi elections 2005 - Results

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "28 February 2005 Constitutional Referendum", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki