BUJUMBURA, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The Burundian National Assembly -- the east African country's parliament lower chamber -- Thursday approved nine candidates who will represent Burundi at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).
Before approving the candidatures, Burundian National Assembly Speaker Pascal Nyabenda said that candidates who are current lawmakers at the Burundian parliament "must first resign" to comply with the EALA rules.
It is in this framework that two lawmakers including Victor Burikukiye, a Hutu from the country's ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) and Mo-Mamo Karerwa, another Hutu from the ruling party had to resign before sending their candidatures.
Out of the nine candidates approved the Burundian National Assembly, five are men and four are women.
Ethnic and political dimensions were also taken into account during the choice of those candidates.
Five of those candidates are from the country's ruling party, the CNDD-FDD.
They include Victor Burikukiye, a Hutu man from Muyinga province, Mo-Mamo Karerwa, a Hutu woman from Gitega province, Leontine Nzeyimana, a Hutu woman from Makamba province, Pierre Claver Rurakamvye, a Tutsi man from Bujumbura municipality and Jean Marie Muhirwa, a Hutu man from Kirundo province.
Two candidates are from the Burundians' Hope opposition coalition and they include Sophie Nsavyimana, a Tutsi woman from Muramvya province and Christophe Nduwayo, a Hutu man from Cibitoke province.
The Union for National Progress (UPRONA) party also got a candidate who is Marie Claire Burikukiye, a Tutsi woman from Bujumbura municipality.
The ninth approved candidate is Alfred Ahingejeje, a man from the Twa minority group born in Cibitoke province.
Along with other candidates from the other East African Community (EAC) states, the nine Burundian candidates will begin their duties as EALA lawmakers as of July with a five-year-term.
Each of the six EAC countries including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda contributes nine lawmakers.
