Burundi’s constitutional court has agreed that President-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye should be sworn in immediately following the sudden death of Pierre Nkurunziza, the government said in a statement posted to Twitter on June 12.

The Constitution provides for the speaker of parliament to take over in such a situation. The court ruled, however, that “the interim period is not necessary and that … Ndayishimiye must be sworn in as soon as possible”, the government said.

https://twitter.com/danyamah/status/1270737143791525893?s=21

However there is the growing suspicion that the COVID-19 outbreak in Burundi will further disrupt public life. The social media persisting reports indicate that premature death of President Nkurunziza and his family members were caused by neglect of the coronavirus hazard.

“Whatever happening in Burundi was quite predictable. Pierre Nkurunziza ignored WHO guidelines. He assumed that COVID-19 never existed, nobody in Bujumbura raised a voice! Pierre dead, his mother too; his wife & sister $ President-elect admitted [to hospital]…” independent journalist Abuga Makori writes.