Burundi is holding legislative and local elections today Thursday, June 5, 2025; marking the first such polls since President Évariste Ndayishimiye took office in 2020. Voters will elect lawmakers to the 123-seat National Assembly, with most selected via party lists and others appointed to ensure gender and ethnic representation, in line with the country’s power-sharing framework.
The election is widely viewed as a key test of Ndayishimiye’s leadership and political reforms. His ruling party, the CNDD–FDD, won a commanding majority in the 2020 elections, and seeks to maintain dominance. Although Ndayishimiye has made attempts to re-engage internationally and distance himself from the repressive rule of his predecessor, Pierre Nkurunziza, serious concerns persist over the country’s human rights environment.
Civil society groups and international observers have raised alarm over ongoing restrictions on press freedom and political dissent. Just weeks before the vote, Reporters Without Borders reported increasing intimidation of journalists and independent media, warning that security forces had created a “climate of fear” aimed at silencing dissent. This year’s legislative and local elections are the first to be held independently from the presidential vote, which is now scheduled for 2027 following a constitutional change that extended presidential terms from five to seven years.
Observers both inside and outside the country are watching closely to gauge whether the vote will reflect genuine democratic progress or further entrench authoritarian tendencies under the guise of reform.
