Ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for May 20, 2020, the main opposition party in Burundi, the National Congress for Liberty – known by its French acronym CNL, has found its official candidate in former rebel leader, Agathon Rwasa.

The party announced the 56-year old’s nomination news through a post on Twitter. The former rebel leader and longtime critic of outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza was a leading opposition candidate in two previous elections although he boycotted the 2010 and 2015 polls citing repression of his supporters.

The year 2015 was memorably punctuated by protests and an attempted coupthat tried to oust President Nkurunziza after he successfully extended his tenure to a third term.

 “As we are approaching elections, it’s surprising to hear that there are people thinking about rigging elections,” he told delegates of his party after his appointment was announced. “Burundians will not let them do it.”

Thanks, in part, to a newly approved bill by the country’s parliament signed last month, outgoing President Nkurunziza will be sent-off with lavish perks that include, but are not limited to, a luxury villa and a one-off sum of approximately $500,000.

On the other hand, the ruling party, CNDD-FDD, has announced its replacement candidate for the outgoing President. The party, after a three-day party congress in the political capital of Gitega, announced that its Secretary-General, Evariste Ndayisimiye will be their candidate for the elections in May. A close ally of the President, who also serves as co-founder of the ruling party, Ndayisimiye and Nkurunziza are former rebel leaders who signed a peace agreement with former Burundi President Pierre Buyoya in 2003.

Prior to his nomination as a presidential candidate, Ndayishimiye served in other governmental roles such as the Interior and Security Minister, Director of the Military Cabinet to President Nkurunziza and is currently the party’s Secretary-General.