Burundian President-elect Maj. Gen. Evariste Ndayishimiye is set to be sworn-in on Thursday, June 18, the country’s foreign affairs ministry announced on Monday. The ceremony has been fast-tracked to fill the leadership vacuum created by the sudden death last week of President Pierre Nkurunziza. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place in the capital Gitega. Nkurunziza died on June 8, aged 55, from what the Burundian government said Tuesday was a cardiac arrest. The Burundian foreign ministry on Monday sent out invitations to members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the country for Ndayishimiyes inauguration. Ndayishimiye, who is also the Secretary General of Nkurunzizas CNDD-FDD party, was elected on May 20. The development follows last weeks ruling by the Burundian Constitutional Court that there was no need for an interim president since elections had already been held and a president-elect waiting in the wings. It had earlier been expected that the Speaker of Parliament Pascal Nyabenda would take over in interim capacity. Ndayishimiye was initally set to be sworn in August 20, exactly 90 days after his election as was stipulated by the constitution. In honour of Nkurunziza, President Kagame last week ordered that the Rwandan flag and that of the East African Community on the Rwandan terriitory be flown at half-mast effective Saturday, June 13, until Nkurunziza is laid to rest. EAC partner states Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have done the same.
