19/05/2020 (Agence Europe) – As tensions rise on the eve of the local, regional and presidential elections in Burundi on 20 May, the EU is calling for calm and dialogue to enable credible elections to take place without violence. In a statement, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service stated that “the European Union is calling on all political actors to honour the commitments made in the electoral code of conduct signed in December 2019 and contribute to free, transparent, credible and peaceful elections”. The EU said that it is working closely with the African Union Commission and the United Nations Secretariat, and called on “all political actors to refrain from any acts of violence and hate speech, and to focus on dialogue”. Seven candidates are in the running to succeed Pierre Nkurunziza. (AN)