Following the sudden death of Former President Pierre Nkurunziza earlier this week, Burundi’s constitutional court has ruled that the country’s newly elected leader, Evariste Ndayishimiye be sworn in.
The constitution provides for the speaker of parliament to take over in such a situation. The court ruled, however, that “the interim period is not necessary and that-Ndayishimiye must be sworn in as soon as possible”, the government said in a statement on Twitter.
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President-elect Ndayishimiye, won the presidential ticket on the platform of CNDD-FDD, the ruling party.
Nkurunziza’s death on Monday aged 55 came just days after the election of his successor Ndayishimiye, who was meant to be inaugurated in August.
The unusual situation raised questions over how the transition would be managed, with the constitution calling for the speaker of the national assembly to step in if the president dies.
Burundi, which shares the same ethnic mix with its neighbour Rwanda, has been convulsed by recurring cycles of power grabs, violence and massacres since it won independence in 1962.
