Former Senate President Bernard Makuza, has been appointed by the African Union (AU) to head AU’s Election Observation Commission in the general elections of Burkina Faso. The elections are scheduled for November 22. “Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, I am very honored by the trust you place in me by appointing me as Head of Election Observation Mission in the general elections in BURKINA FASO. It is with humility that I accept to make my contribution with the deployed delegation,” Makuza said in a tweet. Makuza is also a former Prime Minister. The delegation of the observation is composed of between 25 and 30 observers from different countries who among others include former politicians, political experts, members of civil society organizations and academicians. Speaking to The New Times on Tuesday, November 17, Makuza said that the appointment brings pride to the country. “I thank our leadership for giving me the opportunity to serve the country in different dockets, which is the reason behind the recent appointment. This also shows how AUs trust in our country” he said. 13 candidates including the current President, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, are competing to be at the helm of Burkina Faso’s leadership. In September, MPs passed a law allowing the validation of election results even if voting is not held throughout the country. The Constitutional Council of the West African country also recently noted that voting would not take place in nearly a fifth of the country’s territory due to the presence of terrorist groups and the absence of administrative officials in those areas, which it said had been abandoned by residents. Among the duties of election observers includes deterring fraud, exposing problems and irregularities, providing accurate measures of the quality of the election and provide recommendations for improving the process for the next election. Makuza served as President of the Senate of Rwanda from 14 October 2014 to 17 October 2019 and prior to this, he was Prime Minister from 8 March 2000 to 6 October 2011.
