Burundi’s Ruling Party Sweeps Parliamentary Elections

The ruling CNDD-FDD party in Burundi won all 100 seats in a parliamentary election, securing over 96% of the votes in all provinces. The electoral commission reported only minor irregularities, though opposition parties and rights groups condemned the process.

The opposition Uprona party came second with a little over 1% of the vote. The main opposition party, the National Congress for Liberty (CNL), fell into third spot, getting only 0.6% of the vote. CNL and Human Rights Watch said democracy had been dismantled, citing intimidation, harassment, and limited freedom of expression.

HRW reported that observers from the Catholic Church were blocked from some polling stations. Meanwhile, the African Union has been criticised for praising the “climate of freedom and transparency” of the polls, which it declared were “peaceful”.

The electoral commission said the results would be submitted to the Constitutional Court, which has to certify them then and provide the final results by June 20.

By Allafrica