Bubanza : voters disillusioned with elections deemed a foregone conclusion

SOS Médias Burundi

Bubanza, May 14, 2025 – As the voter registration card distribution period draws to a close, a deep sense of resignation is sweeping through parts of the Burundian population. In Bubanza (western Burundi), many citizens say they no longer believe in the usefulness of the electoral process, pointing to the exclusion of several parties and a politically rigid climate.

In a collection center set up in a primary school in Bubanza, the mood is gloomy. It’s the last day scheduled for the distribution of voter registration cards, but several voters we met there show little enthusiasm.

“We’re wasting our time,” says a man in his forties, ID card in hand but visibly unmotivated. For him, the die is already cast. “The ruling party will win. The others weren’t even allowed to participate normally,” he said, referring to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (CENI) rejection of the candidate lists of the CNL, RANAC, and the Burundi Bwa Bose coalition.

This feeling of injustice is shared by others. An elderly voter, who stayed at home, confided that she had decided not to collect her card. “I voted the other times, nothing changed. Why waste more time for a vote that won’t be counted?”

Among young people, disenchantment is compounded by economic concerns. A student, met near the center, explained that he would not travel to Bujumbura (the commercial capital), where he had registered. “I don’t have the money to go, and this election won’t change my life. I’m still poor, still unemployed.”

These voices, though often discreet, reflect a growing unease. While the government emphasizes the smooth running of the electoral process, on the ground, many perceive a democratic charade. In Bubanza, as elsewhere, the lack of interest in the card collection process could well reveal a deeper divide between the institutions and a portion of the population.

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Voters rush to collect their cards at a voter registration center in northwest Burundi, May 14, 2025 (SOS Médias Burundi)