2020 Burundian general election explained

Country:

Burundi

Module:

Embed: yes Election Name: Presidential election Previous Election: 2015 Burundian presidential election Previous Year: 2015 Next Election: 2027 Burundian presidential election Next Year: 2027 Type: presidential Image1: Evariste Ndayishimiye (cropped).jpg Nominee1: Évariste Ndayishimiye Party1: National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy Popular Vote1: 3,082,210 Percentage1: 71.45% Nominee2: Agathon Rwasa Party2: CNL Popular Vote2: 1,084,788 Percentage2: 25.15% Map Size: 250px President Before Election: Pierre Nkurunziza Before Party: National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy After Election: Évariste Ndayishimiye After Party: National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy Module: Embed: yes Election Name: National Assembly election Previous Election: 2015 Next Election: 2025 Party1: National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy Percentage1: 70.98 Seats1: 72 Last Election1: 77 Percentage2: 23.41 Seats2: 27 Last Election2: 21 Party3: Union for National Progress Percentage3: 2.54 Seats3: 1 Last Election3: 2

General elections were held in Burundi on 20 May 2020 to elect both the president and the National Assembly.^[1] Évariste Ndayishimiye of the ruling CNDD–FDD was elected president with 71% of the vote. In the National Assembly elections, the CNDD–FDD won 72 of the 100 elected seats.

Electoral system

The president is elected for a seven-year term using the two-round system. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round, a second round will be held.^[2] 100 members of the National Assembly are elected for a five-year term from 18 multi-member constituencies based on the provinces using the closed list proportional representation system. Seats are allocated using the d'Hondt method with a national 2% electoral threshold.^[3] A further three members of the Twa ethnic group are appointed, and more members are co-opted to ensure a 60–40 split between Hutus and Tutsis, and a 30% quota for female MPs.^[4]

Campaign

Incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza, in power since 2005, announced in December 2018 that he would not contest the elections.^[5] In response, the main opposition alliance, CNARED, announced that they would return from exile in Belgium to participate in the elections for the first time since 2005.^[6]

In January 2020, the CNDD–FDD chose the party's secretary general Évariste Ndayishimiye as its presidential candidate.^[7] In February, the National Congress for Liberty selected Agathon Rwasa as their candidate.^[8]

Gaston Sindimwo, the First Vice President of Burundi, announced he would run as the Union for National Progress nominee.

Dieudonné Nahimana,^[9] Léonce Ngendakumana, Francis Rohero and Domitien Ndayizeye also ran in the elections.

Conduct

In December 2017, the government introduced a voluntary election levy. However, Human Rights Watch accused the youth wing of the ruling CNDD–FDD and local government officials of extorting the money from citizens in the buildup to the elections, sometimes demanding the donation multiple times.^[10]

According to the Burundi Human Rights Initiative, election day was marred by irregularities including the arrests of opposition leaders and people voting multiple times. Long queues formed at polling stations.^[11]

Results

National Assembly

The three Twa representatives were from the ASSEJEBA, UJEDECO and UNIPROBA parties.^[12]

Reactions

Domestic

• Conference of Bishops of Burundi: Issued a statement criticizing the transparency and freedom of the election process. The church deployed around 2,716 observers across Burundi's 119 municipalities. The conference's observers witnessed intimidation and expulsion of opposition observers from the polling and vote counting stations. The church condemned the ruling party for engaging in national election fraud.^{[13] [14]}
• National Congress for Liberty

The main opposition party filed a case at the Constitutional Court of Burundi challenging the elections and accusing the ruling factions of electoral fraud. The party says they have various instances of evidence where ballot stuffing was conducted. The party aims to take the case to the East African Court of Justice if they are unsuccessful.^[15]

International

Due to the travel restrictions imposed by COVID-19 pandemic, there were almost no international observers present in the country.

• East African Community: Gave the election a clean bill and expressed its support towards Burundi holding peaceful elections. The body issued a statement saying that "The 2020 Burundi elections hold an iconic place in the history of the nation, marking this the first peaceful and democratic transfer of power. More significantly, the process was domestically driven through own funding. The peaceful conclusion of the electoral process will not only be a big win for the people of Burundi, but for the East African Community as a region."^[16]
• Amnesty International: Condemned the conditions leading up to the election saying that “There were continued reports of killings, arbitrary arrests, beatings and disappearances of opposition members, as well as social media censorship on election day."^[17]

Notes and References

1. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/burundi-s-main-opposition-leader-announces-election-bid/1648257 Burundi’s main opposition leader announces election bid
2. http://www.electionguide.org/elections/id/2506/ Republic of Burundi: Election for President
3. http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2049_B.htm Electoral system
4. http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2049_05.htm Elections held in 2005
5. https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/burundi-will-hold-presidential-parliamentary-and-municipal-elections-2020 Nkurunziza rules out running again
6. https://www.voanews.com/africa/burundis-exiled-main-opposition-alliance-plans-participate-2020-vote Burundi's Exiled Main Opposition Alliance Plans to Participate in 2020 Vote
7. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/burundi-ruling-party-picks-ndayishimiye-candidate-poll-200126110543467.html Burundi ruling party picks Ndayishimiye as candidate in May poll
8. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/burundi-opposition-party-picks-agathon-rwasa-run-president-200216202200176.html Burundi opposition party picks Agathon Rwasa to run for president
9. News: Griffin. Jo. 'Not just where people kill each other’: the man hoping to transform Burundi. 2020-03-10. The Guardian. 2020-03-10. en-GB. 0261-3077.
10. https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/12/06/burundi-elections-levy-opens-door-abuse Burundi: Elections ‘Levy’ Opens Door to Abuse
11. https://www.dw.com/en/burundians-vote-despite-coronavirus-outbreak/a-53479621 Burundians vote despite coronavirus outbreak
12. https://www.ceniburundi.bi/2020/06/09/arret-rccb-388-du-04-juin-2020les-resultats-definitifs-de-lelection-des-deputes/ Arret RCCD 388 du 04 juin 2020, les resultats defintifs de l'election des deputes
13. Web site: Burundi bishops denounce suspect presidential election. Catholic News Agency. en. 2020-05-30.
14. Web site: Burundi opposition takes presidential election dispute to court. www.aljazeera.com. 2020-05-30.
15. News: Burundi’s rigged election. The Economist. 2020-05-30. 0013-0613.
16. Web site: Burundi election results: What next?. www.aljazeera.com. 2020-05-30.
17. Web site: Burundi Elects New President Amid Concerns Over Election Integrity. Isabelle Aboaf . 2020-05-29. The Organization for World Peace. en-US. 2020-05-30.