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Ndadaye himself was forced to flee to neighbouring Rwanda for several years in 1972 after some 200,000 Hutus were massacred by Tutsis following an attempted insurrection.
The Tutsis have traditionally ruled Burundi though they form only about 14 percent of the population, keeping power out of the hands of the Hutus who make up 85 percent.
A third candidate, the monarchist Pierre-Claver Sendegeya, backed by the People's Reconciliation Party, took only about one percent of the vote, according to the interior minister.
The latest strife in Burundi dates back to April last year, after the adoption by referendum of a new constitution introducing a multi-party system. Ten parties have since been recognised under the constitution, which outlaws political groupings of a regional, religious or ethnic nature.
While seeking to democratise Burundi despite opposition from Tutsi hardliners in the army who staged an abortive coup in March 1992, Buyoya endeavoured to reduce ethnic tensions, appointing a Hutu prime minister last October.
National unity was the watchword of the campaign by the retired army major, who returned to civilian life under the new constitution banning political activity by the military.
For his part, Ndadaye has proposed his good offices to Rwanda, where the regime of Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana is working towards a multi-party democracy and has been challenged by Tutsi rebels of the Rwandan Patriotic Front.
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AFP AFP SEQN-0144
