Burundi Election 2025: Ruling Party Takes All Seats as Democracy Is Questioned
The CNDD-FDD, Burundi’s ruling party, has secured 100% of parliamentary seats in the 2025 election, drawing sharp condemnation from opposition parties and rights groups. According to the country’s electoral commission, the party won more than 96% of the vote across all provinces. But critics say the vote was deeply flawed and symbolized the death of democracy in the East African nation.
Opposition parties like Uprona and the National Congress for Liberty (CNL) were left with less than 2% of the vote combined. Uprona’s leader, Olivier Nkurunziza, declared, “We have killed democracy.” Rights group Human Rights Watch echoed this sentiment, accusing CNDD-FDD of suppressing dissent and dismantling real political competition. The main opposition, CNL, reportedly faced intimidation throughout the campaign.
Despite limited independent oversight—especially after election observers from the Catholic Church were blocked from polling centers—the African Union controversially praised the election environment as “peaceful” and “transparent.”
In an effort to comply with the ethnic balance mandated by the Arusha Accords, 11 more parliamentary seats will be added to correct demographic representation. This will raise the total number of MPs to 111, pending certification by Burundi’s Constitutional Court by June 20.
While officials downplayed the flaws as “minor irregularities,” the mood in Bujumbura remained somber, with no public celebrations following the landslide victory—highlighting the growing political disillusionment in the country.
