quote:
Former rebel leader and born-again Christian Pierre Nkurunziza has been elected Burundi's new president by parliament. He was the only candidate, after his Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) won elections earlier this year to both the Senate and the National Assembly.He is set up to be sworn in on 27 August.
The FDD was until recently the largest rebel group fighting the Burundi government.
After 10 years of conflict between ethnic Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-dominated army, the FDD joined the peace process in November 2003 paving the way for its entry into government.
Mr Nkurunziza, 41, belongs to the younger generation of Hutu leaders, whose political and military careers started after the killing of Hutu President Melchior Ndadaye by disgruntled soldiers in 1993.
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posted 20 August 2005 12:12 PM
