Burundi vice-president dismissed

The president's office says details will follow shortly

Burundi's President Domitien Ndayizeye has sacked his deputy, Alphonse-Marie Kadege, a day after he voiced concerns on a referendum on the constitution.

Mr Kadege had said he doubted the referendum would be held this month as scheduled, due to delays.

The president's office said more details would be given at a news conference later on Wednesday.

Mr Kadege, a Tutsi, has repeatedly said the draft constitution gives too much power to the country's Hutu majority.

Sharing power

His is a member of the strongest and most influential of all Tutsi parties, the Union for National Progress (Uprona), previously Burundi's ruling party.

Under a power-sharing deal signed in August, the Tutsi minority will have 40% of government and national assembly posts, compared to 60% for Hutus.

This is the basis for the new constitution, which needs to be passed by referendum before election local and legislative elections in March and presidential elections in April.

Elections were originally scheduled to take place by 1 November but the timetable slipped due to disputes over power sharing.

Some 300,000 people have been killed since the civil war broke out in 1993.

About 5,000 United Nations peacekeepers are in the country to support the South African-brokered peace process.