Pierre Nkurunziza
| Pierre Nkurunziza | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| President of Burundi | |
|
Assumed office 26 August 2005 |
|
| Vice President |
Martin Nduwimana Yves Sahinguvu Terence Sinunguruza Gervais Rufyikiri Gaston Sindimwo |
| Preceded by | Domitien Ndayizeye |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
18 December 1963 Bujumbura, Burundi |
| Political party | National Council for the Defense of Democracy |
| Spouse(s) | Denise Bucumi |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | University of Burundi |
| Religion | Protestantism |
| Signature |  |
Pierre Nkurunziza (French pronunciation: [pjɛʁ n̪kyʁœ̃ziza]; born 18 December 1963) is a Burundian politician who has been President of Burundi since 2005. He was the Chairman of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), the ruling party, until he was elected as President of Burundi.
In 2015, Nkurunziza was controversially nominated by his party for a third term in office. Supporters and opponents of Nkurunziza disagreed as to whether it was legal for him to run again, and protests followed. More than two months of anti-Nkurunziza protests, which were often violently repressed, left at least 100 dead. On 13 May 2015, a coup attempt against Nkurunziza occurred while he was out of the country; the coup leader, Godefroid Niyombare, claimed to have ousted Nkurunziza, although Nkurunziza loyalists disputed the claim. Facing resistance from Nkurunziza loyalists, the coup collapsed and forces loyal to Nkurunziza appeared to be back in full control by 15 May. Independent media was shut down and many opponents fled, joining an exodus of more than 150,000 Burundians.
Amidst an opposition boycott, Nkurunziza was re-elected for a third term in the July 2015 presidential election.
Nkurunziza was born in 1963 in Burundi's capital city of Bujumbura. Nkurunziza was raised in the province of Ngozi in northern Burundi, the son of a tutsi mother and a Hutu father. He attended primary school in Ngozi.. Before the civil war, Mr Nkurunziza, who had graduated in sports education, was a teacher and assistant lecturer at the University of Burundi.
His father, Eustache Ngabisha, was elected to the Parliament of Burundi in 1965 and later became governor of two provinces before being killed in 1972 during the Burundian Genocide of 1972 when ethnic violence claimed the lives of between 80,000 and 210,000 Burundians.
...
Wikipedia