Burundi’s constitutional referendum is scheduled to be conducted on Thursday, 17 May.
The constitutional changes, if passed, will shore up the powers of President Pierre Nkurunziza and open the doors for him to possibly rule until 2034.
The National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) on Monday closed all campaigns ahead of the Thursday vote.
The draft constitution, which doesn’t allow the current president to run again in 2020, extends the presidential term from five years provided in the 2005 constitution to seven years, and allows the president to serve two consecutive terms.
For the referendum to be passed, it requires a margin of victory of more than 50 per cent.
Around 5 million Burundian citizens registered for the upcoming constitutional referendum and the general elections in the combined registration, according to NIEC.
Earlier this month, the United States denounced “violence, intimidation, and harassment” against Burundians thought to oppose the referendum.
President Pierre Nkurunziza has been in power since 2005, but his last election in 2015 was marred with controversy as the opposition claimed he was barred by the constitution from running for a third term.
