Polls body issues campaign guidelines

Burundi's Independent Electoral Commission, or CENI, has taken measures to ensure that general elections in the country are conducted in a free and fair atmosphere, an official said on Friday. "Every voter must have an identity card and a voter's card, Astere Kana, the CENI spokesman, said at a news conference in the capital, Bujumbura. He said the measures would also ensure that no fraudulent activity took place during the series of elections, scheduled to start with communal elections on 3 June to the presidential poll on 19 August. Kana said "a system of mandating another voter to vote for them" would be provided for those who would be unable to vote in their native villages. However, he added that the mandated voter would have to present the voting card of the person they would be representing. Regarding concerns raised by political parties on the existence of forged voter lists, Kana said the commission was awaiting reports from its provincial officials. If any false lists were unearthed, he said, the commission would ensure that such lists would not be used. Kana said electoral campaigns would start on 19 May. The use of the media was one of the strategies designed to ensure smooth and fair elections, Kana said. "Media are precious partners helping us reach the voters," he said. He added that the media would also play a role in reconciling politicians during the electoral period. He urged journalists to report objectively by abiding by rules of impartiality. The media must be "mediators between the population and politicians as well other partners in the electoral process", he said. The elections, due to end Burundi's 45-month transitional phase to democratic rule, would be held while the country's remaining rebel group, the Forces nationales de liberation (FNL) led by Agathon Rwasa, holds ceasefire negotiations with the government. Government-FNL talks are scheduled to begin on Sunday in Tanzania's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, said Pancrace Cimpaye, the spokesman for President Domitien Ndayizeye.