Elections in Burundi

The electoral process includes registration as a voter, the issuance of a voter card (carte d'électeur), the examination of candidacies, the campaign, secret voting, counting and the examination of complaints. The legal basis consists of the 2018 Constitution and the Electoral Code as amended by Organic Law No. 1/12 of 5 June 2024. Responsibility lies with the CENI, which consists of seven independent members. The members are appointed by decree after the National Assembly (Assemblée nationale) and the Senate (Sénat) have each approved them by a separate absolute majority. At provincial and communal level, provincial electoral commissions (CEPI) and communal electoral commissions (CECI) operate; at the polling station, the polling-station office (Bureau de vote) conducts the voting and the initial count. Burundi comprises five provinces, 42 communes, 451 zones and 3,044 hills or neighborhoods (collines ou quartiers). For the 2025 elections, the CENI registered a total of 5,963,917 voters from 22 to 31 October 2024 in 4,246 registration centers and 15,633 units. A total of 5,914,498 cards were collected from 12 to 15 May 2025; the remaining 39,419 cards could be collected until 2 June. Anyone who does not receive their card can report to the CECI with the receipt (récépissé) and request a replacement card. Elections for the National Assembly and the communal councils (conseils communaux) took place on 5 June 2025, the Senate election on 23 July, and elections for the councils of hills or neighborhoods and their chiefs on 25 August. The next national election is scheduled for 2027; an exact date had not yet been set at the time of the research. The presidential election is a direct election requiring an absolute majority, with a second round after 15 days if necessary. Presidential candidates must, among other requirements, have Burundian nationality by birth, be over 40 years old, reside in Burundi, possess full political rights and have 200 supporters subject to the statutory ethnic and gender requirements. The term lasts seven years and is limited to two consecutive terms. Members of the National Assembly are elected directly. The province forms the constituency, parties and coalitions stand with closed lists, and independent candidates may also stand. The lists must be ethnically mixed and gender-balanced; no more than two of three consecutive candidates may belong to the same ethnic group, and at least one person must be a woman. A party needs at least two percent of the votes cast nationwide, while an independent candidate needs at least 40 percent in the constituency. The National Assembly has at least 100 seats, reflects a ratio of 60 percent Hutu and 40 percent Tutsi, provides for at least 30 percent women and additionally includes three co-opted Twa members. The Senate is elected indirectly by electoral colleges made up of members of the communal councils. Each province sends two delegates from different ethnic groups; the election takes place in separate rounds with an absolute majority and, if necessary, a second or third round. Candidates must be at least 35 years old, hold Burundian nationality, have full rights and have no relevant conviction. The Senate additionally includes three co-opted Twa members and must contain at least 30 percent women. In 2025, it consisted of ten elected and three co-opted senators, 13 members in total. Communal councils are elected directly and proportionally. Parties and coalitions use closed lists, while independent candidates stand individually; each council has at least 25 members, takes the zones into account and must contain at least 30 percent women. An independent candidate needs at least ten percent of the votes. The CENI may correct ethnic or gender imbalances. The council then elects its bureau and the communal administrator by absolute majority, with further rounds if necessary. In hills and neighborhoods, voters secretly elect five council members and the chief of the unit. Under the CENI rule for 2025, no more than three candidate names were permitted on the ballot; more than three names made it invalid. Voters who could not write could choose a voter as a writer. Eligible voters must register, present their card or the recognized replacement document and comply with the voting and campaign rules. Temporary exclusions may include pretrial detention, imprisonment or certain protective and prohibitory measures. In the 2025 parliamentary elections, Burundians abroad were also allowed to vote; for local elections, residence in Burundi was required. No general postal voting or official voter fee was documented. Candidate costs or deposits could not be reliably determined from the primary sources reviewed. The campaign normally begins 21 days before election day and ends 48 hours beforehand. In 2025, polling stations were typically open from 6:00 to 15:00. The polling-station office checks registration on the electoral roll and the card, provides the secret ballot and uses indelible ink. Proxy voting and changing the polling location are governed by special CENI rules. After counting, the polling station prepares a procès-verbal; the CECI, CEPI and CENI consolidate the results. The CENI publishes provisional results, while the Constitutional Court (Cour constitutionnelle) examines complaints and confirms the final results of national elections. In 2025, it confirmed the parliamentary election results: 111 members of parliament, including 108 from the CNDD-FDD and three co-opted Twa members, among them 44 women. In the Senate, six of the 13 members were women; all ten directly elected seats went to the CNDD-FDD.