Cabinet nominates five to electoral commission

In a bid to prepare for Burundi's upcoming general elections, the cabinet has nominated five members to form the National Independent Electoral Commission, government spokesman Onésime Nduwimana said on Tuesday. Their names will be sent to the national assembly for endorsement and then to the head of state for promulgation, he said. "The task of these persons will be to prepare, organise and design the upcoming democratic elections due before 1 November 2004, to end transitional rule," Nduwimana, who is also the minister of communications, said in Bujumbura. The commission has been allotted money to buy ballot boxes and print ballot papers, in an effort to ensure its independence of action. The commission will also publish the poll results. Nduwimana said commission members were chosen for their integrity and patriotism, as stipulated in the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Accord of August 2000. The nominations follow the June session of the Implementation and Monitoring Committee of the Arusha agreement that urged the government to set up commission by 31 July.