BUJUMBURA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Burundi's Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld the provisional results of the presidential election in May, declaring Evariste Ndayishimiye of the ruling party the winner by securing 68.70 percent of votes.
The central African country held general elections on May 20 to a new president, members of the National Assembly, and district councilors.
Ndayishimiye will serve a seven-year term in office, renewable once.
Following are the basic facts about Ndayishimiye.
Also known as "Neva", Ndayishimiye was born in 1968 in Giheta district in Gitega province, central Burundi.
After interrupting his law studies at the University of Burundi in 1995 due to the political-ethnic crisis that erupted in 1993 in the wake of the assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye, Ndayishimiye joined National Council for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD), a Hutu rebel movement at that time that became CNDD-FDD later.
After the signing of the ceasefire agreement between the government and CNDD-FDD in 2003, Ndayishimiye joined the national armed forces. Since then, he occupied several high positions in the country.
He became Deputy Chief of Staff of the Burundian army in 2003. In 2006, he was appointed as Minister of Home Affairs and Public Security. Later, he became a senior advisor in the office of the president in charge of military affairs and that in charge of civil affairs, successively.
In 2016 he was elected as Secretary General of the ruling CNDD-FDD party.
From 2012 to 2014, Ndayishimiye completed law studies at Wisdom University of Africa in Bujumbura, and got a degree.
The father of six also chaired the National Olympic Committee from 2009 to 2017.
While addressing to the nation after the provisional results were released on May 25, Ndayishimiye called on the international community to support Burundi, Burundian refugees to return home to build their country together, Burundian people to safeguard peace and security and to respect each other in their diversity.
Ndayishimiye is set to run a country whose economy is heavily reliant on the agricultural sector and most of the population lives in poverty. Enditem
