June 5 election : Rwasa’s allies accuse the government of blocking the competition

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, June 3, 2025 – Two days before the district and legislative elections scheduled for June 5, the Burundian opposition is raising its alarm. While Aimé Magera, international representative of the National Congress for Liberty (CNL), is calling for a boycott of the election, Agathon Rwasa, leader of the National Congress for Liberty (CNL), is calling it a “CNDD-FDD show.” Meanwhile, 19 members of parliament and one senator loyal to Rwasa sent an open letter to the head of state denouncing a biased electoral process, without, however, calling for abstention.

In a statement sent to SOS Médias Burundi, Aimé Magera asserted that his party did not boycott, but was effectively excluded from the process :

“The CNDD-FDD is afraid of competition. It has closed off the political arena, imposed its CENI, and excluded our activists from the electoral lists.”

According to him, voting aunder these conditions would amount to legitimizing an authoritarian regime. He called on Burundians not to go to the polls, or to invalidate their ballots :

“Even in exile, our activists are being hunted down.” We are facing a military dictatorship that has never won an election honestly since 2010.”

Rwasa : “A CNDD-FDD show”

For his part, Agathon Rwasa, who still claims to be president of the CNL, described the June 5 elections as a “show orchestrated by the CNDD-FDD” in an exclusive interview with SOS Médias Burundi :

“Voting no longer makes sense when most of the opposition forces are sidelined or forced into silence.”

According to him, the ruling party is campaigning alone, having eliminated any significant competition. He described this as a major democratic setback and a process stripped of all credibility.

An open letter full of criticism

19 members of parliament and one senator, all members of the CNL loyal to Rwasa – including Rwasa himself – signed an open letter to the President of the Republic. Without calling for a boycott, they make a harsh assessment :

Lack of consensus on the appointment of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI);

Electoral code imposed without consultation;

Campaign bans targeting the opposition;

Widespread climate of intimidation.

The signatories call on the Head of State to respect the Constitution and ensure a truly democratic electoral environment.

Appeal to the diaspora and the international community

Aimé Magera also appealed to the Burundian diaspora, inviting them to become politically involved :

“The country belongs to all of us. If Burundi sinks, it is you who bear the burden.”

He welcomes the international community’s refusal to send observers, but urges it to go further :

“It is time to break the silence and stand with the oppressed.”