Burundi’s ruling party has won all 100 parliamentary seats in an election the opposition claims has “killed” democracy in the country.
Announcing the provisional results, electoral commission head Prosper Ntahorwamiye said the CNDD-FDD party secured over 96% of the vote across all provinces, with only “some minor irregularities.”
The opposition Uprona party came second with just over 1%, while the main opposition party, the National Congress for Liberty (CNL), placed third with 0.6%. Uprona leader Olivier Nkurunziza told AFP: “We have killed democracy,” denouncing the election as rigged.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated the result showed that democracy had been “hollowed out” in Burundi. It accused the CNDD-FDD, in power since 2005, of working to dismantle all meaningful opposition, especially the CNL.
Freedom of expression remains limited in Burundi. HRW reported that observers from the Catholic Church were barred from some polling stations and said the election followed a campaign marked by intimidation and harassment.
Despite these concerns, the African Union praised the vote for taking place in a “climate of freedom and transparency,” calling it “peaceful”—a stance that has drawn criticism.
There were few signs of celebration in the main city, Bujumbura, after the results were announced on Wednesday. The electoral commission said the results would be submitted to the Constitutional Court, which is expected to certify the final outcome by 20 June.
Ntahorwamiye acknowledged “shortcomings that came about, which have been resolved—because, as you know, nothing is completely perfect.”
Under the Arusha Accords, which ended Burundi’s civil war more than 20 years ago, the parliament’s ethnic composition must reflect the national proportions of Hutus, Tutsis, and Twa.
To correct an imbalance after the vote, the commission announced the creation of 11 additional seats, bringing the total number of MPs to 111.
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