Burundi : opposition parties denounce the “opacity” surrounding the electoral process

The CNL, Frodebu and CODEBU parties deplore what they call “opacity” in the management of the ongoing electoral process in Burundi. They denounce a process riddled with many irregularities and ask the Electoral Commission to pull itself together. These parties point out that poorly organized elections always lead to the same results : assassinations, massacres, exile…

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The CNL party highlights certain irregularities that it says it has already observed. These include the way in which census agents were selected. The CENI (Independent National Electoral Commission) is accused of favoring candidates from the ruling party, the CNDD-FDD, hence doubts about its impartiality.

In a press release, the CNL party returns to the very short period preceding the decree calling voters to submit candidacies for the election of deputies and district councilors. The period and deadline for the lists of representatives of political parties, coalitions of political parties and independent candidates of four months before the June 5, 2025 election is in contradiction with the electoral code, according to the main opposition party undermined by divisions. Nestor Girukwishaka, chairperson of the party explains that the electoral code provides in its article 41 that the full identity of representatives is notified to the provincial commissions, at least twenty days before the election.

The CNL party calls on the Electoral Commission to “promote fair, inclusive and impartial management of the electoral process”.

On October 15, the CENI met with its partners. To the concern of political party leaders regarding the deadline for submitting candidacies in December, Prosper Ntahorwamiye, chairperson of the CENI gave explanations.

“This was done to have enough time to thoroughly analyze candidacy files”. And to try to convince more : “how to recognize that files meet the required conditions : ethnic balances, required numbers, how could we verify them without having the lists in time?”

Parties not consulted

The Frodebu and CODEBU parties say that they were never consulted before the announcement of the timetable that was revealed by the body in charge of organizing the elections, on October 15.

In a joint statement, chairpersons of these two opposition political parties emphasize that the CENI did not take into consideration the right given to political parties to be able to “form coalitions” during the elections. They believe that the Commission should also give enough time to potential candidates to obtain the required documents to “avoid constituting an obstacle to the participation of political parties”.

These two parties remind the government and the CENI that poorly prepared and poorly organized elections always lead to tragedies such as assassinations, massacres, exile of citizens…

According to the electoral timetable, legislative elections and the election of district councilors will take place on June 5, 2025, senatorial elections will take place on July 23 whereas the election of village councilors will take place two days later.

The stakes are high for these elections organized for the first time separately from the presidential election scheduled for 2027 and taking into account the new administrative division that led to the reduction of provinces from 18 to 5 and districts from 119 to only 42.

“Even within the CNDD-FDD itself, the fight to be on the lists is very tough because there will now be fewer plates and more mouths to feed in a country where elected officials are entitled to all the advantages and take advantage of their positions and functions to enrich themselves illicitly,” analyzes a Burundian journalist based abroad.

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A man in a polling station in Burundi (SOS Médias Burundi)