Domitien Ndayizeye

{{short description|President of Burundi from 2003 to 2005}} {{Update|date=December 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = [[Excellency|His Excellency]] | name = Domitien Ndayizeye | image = Domitien Ndayizeye, President of Burundi (2) (cropped).jpg | caption = Ndayizeye in 2005 | order = 8th | office = President of Burundi | vice_president = {{ubl|[[Alphonse-Marie Kadege]]<br />(2003–2004)|[[Frédéric Ngenzebuhoro]]<br />(2004–2005)}} | term_start = 30 April 2003 | term_end = 26 August 2005 | predecessor = [[Pierre Buyoya]] | successor = [[Pierre Nkurunziza]] | order1 = 1st | office1 = Vice-President of Burundi | president1 = Pierre Buyoya | term_start1 = 1 November 2001 | term_end1 = 30 April 2003 | predecessor1 = [[Frédéric Bamvuginyumvira]]<br>[[Mathias Sinamenye]] | successor1 = Alphonse-Marie Kadege | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|05|02|df=y}} | birth_place = {{ill|Murango|ceb}}, [[Kayanza Province]], Burundi | death_date = | death_place = | party = [[Front for Democracy in Burundi]] (FRODEBU) | spouse = }} '''Domitien Ndayizeye''' (born 2 May 1953) is a Burundian politician who served as the eighth [[president of Burundi]] from 2003 to 2005. A member of the [[Front for Democracy in Burundi]] (FRODEBU), he previously served as the first [[Vice-President of Burundi|vice president]] under President [[Pierre Buyoya]] from 2001 to 2003.

Ndayizeye currently serves as head of the [[National Gathering for Change]] (''Rassemblement National pour le Changement'', RANAC).<ref name=cnn>{{cite web|author=Christian Irambona & Don Melvin |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/24/africa/burundi-talks-suspended/ |title=Opposition suspends talks as Burundi's crisis grows worse |publisher=CNN |date=24 May 2015 |access-date=27 May 2015}}</ref>

In 1994 he was appointed director of the [[National Intelligence Service (Burundi)|National Intelligence Service]] by President [[Cyprien Ntaryamira]].<ref>{{cite news| title = New President| newspaper = Africa Research Bulletin: Political, social, and cultural series| volume = 40| page = 15262| date = 2003| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AdosAQAAIAAJ}}</ref>

In 2004, Ndayizeye proposed a draft constitution to the parliament prior to it being put to the electorate in referendum later in the year. Relations with the Tutsi group were strained, reflected in their boycotting of the legislative session due to consider the proposal. Due to a lack of preparation, the ballot was postponed to late November 2004.

Burundi is still trying to emerge from a [[Burundi Civil War|civil war]] that began in 1993 when several groups drawn from the large Hutu majority took up arms against a government and army then dominated by a Tutsi elite.

The interim government pledged to more equitably share power between the two main ethnic groups.

On 21 August 2006, Ndayizeye was arrested in [[Bujumbura]] in relation to his alleged role in a coup plot earlier in the year. The [[Senate of Burundi|Senate]] lifted his immunity as Senator prior to his arrest.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5271828.stm "Burundi's former leader arrested"], BBC News, August 21, 2006.</ref> He denied the charges against him in court on December 19 and said that he had "never dreamed of organising a coup, in fact I had given up politics to do business and be with my family".<ref>[http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=qw116656218339B216 "I never planned a coup, says Ndayizeye"], Reuters (''IOL''), December 20, 2006.</ref> On January 15, 2007, he was acquitted along with former vice president [[Alphonse-Marie Kadege]] and three other defendants; two others were sentenced to long prison terms.

During 2010 general elections, as his party representative, he ran for the presidential seat but decided to withdraw from the race together with all opposition parties, after they accused the ruling party of rigging previous councilors' elections.<ref>Patrick Nduwimana, [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=136&art_id=qw1168895341600B216 "Ndayizeye acquitted of coup plot in Burundi"], Reuters (''IOL''), January 16, 2007.</ref>

After opposition politician [[Zedi Feruzi]] was killed during the [[2015 Burundian unrest]] Ndayizeye and other opposition parties broke off talks with the government of President [[Pierre Nkurunziza]].<ref name=cnn/>

== References == {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box|title=[[Vice-President of Burundi]]|before=[[Mathias Sinamenye]] &<br />[[Frédéric Bamvuginyumvira]]|after=[[Alphonse-Marie Kadege]]|years=2001–2003}} {{succession box|title=[[President of Burundi]]|before=[[Pierre Buyoya]]|after=[[Pierre Nkurunziza]]|years=2003–2005}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ndayizeye, Domitien}} [[Category:1953 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Kayanza Province]] [[Category:Hutu people]] [[Category:Front for Democracy in Burundi politicians]] [[Category:Presidents of Burundi]] [[Category:Burundian life senators]] [[Category:Vice-presidents of Burundi]]