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Burunga : accusations of massive electoral fraud against the CEPI and the CNDD-FDD

SOS Médias Burundi

Burunga, June 2025 – Barely had the election results been announced in Burunga province (southeastern Burundi), and a heated controversy raged around the electoral process, accused of having been rigged in advance to benefit the ruling party, the CNDD-FDD. Several opposition parties and their alliances in the region denounced a « sham election » marked by serious irregularities and biased organization orchestrated by the Independent Provincial Electoral Commission (CEPI).

According to the protesters, the CEPI in Burunga allegedly implemented a well-structured fraud scheme. It is accused of preventing opposition parties from appointing their electoral monitors at polling stations and of never making public the list of accredited members.

On the election day, observers noted that almost all of the election supervisors were active members of the Imbonerakure (members of the CNDD-FDD youth league), sometimes civil servants, their spouses, or even CNDD-FDD candidates. Alternates registered on the lists reportedly acted as supervisors, stuffing ballot boxes and intimidating voters.

Several testimonies report ballot stuffing in favor of the CNDD-FDD even before the polls closed, as well as pressure exerted on voters. Party representatives were expelled for « delay » or on the basis of false accusations, preventing them from monitoring the count.

A victory without jubilation, even within the CNDD-FDD

Unprecedentedly, this victory generated no enthusiasm. Several CNDD-FDD activists in Burunga admitted that they had not celebrated the results as in the past.

« No one showed their joy, neither in the neighborhoods nor in the bars as they used to. It feels like a victory imposed from above, » confided a local party member.

« Even we no longer know how to respond to the criticism, » added another, visibly uncomfortable.

This heavy silence, according to some observers, reflects a growing unease within the ruling party itself and a growing popular disapproval.

Internal criticism within the CNDD-FDD

Some CNDD-FDD supporters themselves speak of a « grotesque fraud. » They question the legitimacy of a 100% single-party district council in a context of growing poverty and widespread discontent.

A CEPI in turmoil

When questioned, Philemon Nahabandi, president of the CEPI (Independent Provincial Electoral Commission)-Burunga, defended the process, stating that « several observers arrived late or did not sign the minutes. » But he remains vague on the specific accusations.

The denouncing parties are demanding the immediate publication of the names of polling station officials to demonstrate their alleged ties to the CNDD-FDD.

A CEPI president with a controversial past

Appointed in 2020 under the banner of the Pentecostal Church, Philemon Nahabandi had already been imprisoned in 2015 for electoral fraud. He then allegedly forced pupils at his school to vote for the CNDD-FDD and fraudulently obtained voter registration cards.

Accused of double-dealing between religion and politics, his reappointment as head of the CEPI is seen as a political reward.

A broader pattern?

The Burunga case appears to be part of a broader strategy : the CNDD-FDD places its members in electoral bodies by presenting them as coming from associations or churches. This method would allow total control of the electoral process while maintaining a pluralist facade.

« Even the children here are learning that fraud is a normal way to gain power, » confided a teacher who spoke on condition of anonymity.

While the official results give the CNDD-FDD the undisputed winner in all Burunga districts, these elections leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many observers, citizens… and even party members. In the absence of transparency from the CEPI, doubts persist. In a context of acute social crisis, trust in Burundi’s democratic institutions seems more fragile than ever.