Gervais Rufyikiri opposes the third term re-election bid by President Pierre Nkurunziza.
The return to peace, calm and a conducive political climate for the upcoming general elections that had been hoped for with the return by the government delegation to the ongoing United Nations brokered peace talks between the government party and the opposition remains gloomy.
The government delegation that returned to the negotiation table on June 24, 2015 after boycotting the inaugural session on Tuesday, represented embers of hope that the legislative and council elections slated for Monday, June 29, 2015 could hold in relative calm.
The hopes have however been tainted by continuous dissention on the government camp as Vice President Gervais Rufyikiri has fled the country. BBC cited him as telling France 24 TV that a third term for President Pierre Nkurunziza was unconstitutional. Mr Rufyikiri said that he felt "personally threatened" in a similar way to others who oppose the president, BBC further cited.
The vice-president is the latest in a series of high-profile Burundians to leave the country, including a constitutional court judge and a member of the electoral commission. UN Reports say more than 100,000 people have fled Burundi since the start of the crisis. Burundi’s government spokesman is cited as saying that the Vice President Gervais Rufyikiri was on a foreign mission. The spokesman further said that no one had been threatened.
Back to the negotiation table, the country’s Minister of Interior Edouard Nduwimana, RFI said, joined leaders of the opposition, civil society organisations and the international community on the second day without giving any reasons.
However, the ruling CNDD-FDD is said to have refused to participate in the political dialogue with arguments that the organisation of the talks were intended to disturb upcoming elections. Party officials instead concentrated in multiplying on campaign rallies to woo voters.
The Minister recalled government’s position that the dialogue had nothing to alter with regard to the third term for President Nkurunziza and the electoral calendar.
