Registration for elections is still a problem. Several residents were refused to access markets over the weekend in several provinces of Burundi as they were requested to show the receipt attesting they had registered for the 2025 elections.

Some administrators in the northwestern provinces have confirmed the information. They say they want to encourage people to participate in this election, which they consider very important and describe as « a civic duty that must be fulfilled ».

The Ministry of Education issued a press release advising school principals to facilitate the registration of teachers and students of voting age.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

In all 18 provinces of Burundi, SOS Médias Burundi reporters have noted a low turnout for voter registration for next year’s elections.

« In several registration centers, agents in charge of registration spend entire days sitting in rooms or courtyards dozing. They receive very few people who come to register, » noted SOS Médias Burundi reporters.

Closure of markets to force the population to register

In the capital of the province of Gitega (political capital) in central Burundi, residents were forced to go and register over the weekend. This began with the closure of the modern central market on Saturday afternoon. According to witnesses, several Imbonerakure (members of the CNDD-FDD youth league), local administrators and police officers had been mobilized for this purpose. They closed the market around 4 p.m.

« Worse still, no one was allowed to move without showing the receipt attesting that they had registered for the elections. Imbonerakure were posted everywhere this Sunday. Even before getting on a motorcycle taxi, you should show this receipt, » a local activist told SOS Médias Burundi. For him, « the Burundian authorities have gone too far. »

Part of the Rugombo market almost empty following the measure of the Burundian authorities to prevent people from accessing the markets before showing the receipt attesting that they have been registered for the elections, October 27, 2024 (SOS Media Burundi)

In the capital of Bubanza, in western Burundi, access to the central provincial market was conditional on the certificate of registration for the elections this Sunday. Everyone was concerned, customers as well as vendors. Among the latter, there are some who come from the most remote areas. They were forced to return home to look for the receipt attesting that they had registered or to register on site.

« Imbonerakure and police officers were posted at each entrance to the market. The check was more than rigorous, » people who were victims of this check told SOS Médias Burundi.

The Bubanza municipal administration issued a press release that it sent to all the churches. It was read this Sunday during mass. In addition, a municipal administration van was requisitioned. An individual on board this vehicle crisscrossed all the streets of the provincial capital and its surroundings. He had a megaphone. The message was clear.

« Appointments with the governor, the municipal administrator or the OPJ (Judicial Police Officer) will be determined by the certificate of registration for the elections, » he warned. And to repeat « You saw what happened this morning at the market, it will be the same for all those who do not comply with this obligation of the government. »

Several residents say they have been intimidated and insulted by the Imbonerakure in Bubanza.

« You are incredulous. You are still waiting for the government to force you to fulfill your civic duty, » Imbonerakure shouted at residents who found themselves at the Bubanza market without a receipt attesting that they had registered for next year’s elections. An activist from an opposition political party said that « we are not enthusiastic about this operation because the political environment is locked. The results are already known in advance. So there is no point in wasting time. »

In Cibitoke province (northwest), the same situation occurred in the communes of Buganda and Rugombo. The administration also called on Imbonerakure to prevent residents from accessing markets. According to witnesses, several inhabitants of the mountainous regions who come from very distant localities to go to the plain to sell or buy goods, were chased away by the Imbonerakure under the complicit eye of the police for the simple reason of not having shown their receipt. Imbonerakure said that « we were mandated by the communal authorities ».

People wait for the end of the verification of the receipts attesting that they have been registered for the elections, to be able to access the Buganda market, October 27, 2024 (SOS Media Burundi)

The administrators of Rugombo and Buganda acknowledged the facts. Contacted on this subject, they explained that they wanted to « encourage the population to register ».

The ministry in charge of education issued a press release last Friday, advising school principals to facilitate the registration of teachers and students of voting age. In several provinces, school officials have already instructed school principals to « not let any teacher work before showing their receipt attesting that they have registered ». Only foreign teachers will be exempt.

And since last week, in many provinces, especially in the southwest of the country, school officials have asked students to pay between 500 and 1,000 Burundian francs to obtain an identity card, without which one cannot participate in the voter registration operation.

Voter registration began on October 22 in Burundi. Last Friday, CENI President Prosper Ntahorwamiye announced that at least 1,742,111 people had already registered out of a total of 6 million voters, according to the Electoral Commission’s forecasts, or 29% of the voting population.

Mr. Ntahorwamiye recalled that the government has the right and the duty to force its population to go and enroll to participate in the elections.

According to the electoral calendar, the legislative elections and the election of municipal councilors will take place on June 5, 2025, the senatorial elections will take place on July 23 when the election of hill councilors will take place two days later.

The stakes are high for these elections organized for the first time separately from the presidential election scheduled for 2027 and taking into account the new administrative division which led to the reduction of provinces from 18 to 5 and communes from 119 to only 42.

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A PNB (Burundi National Police) agent checks the receipts before allowing people to access the Bubanza market, October 27, 2024 (SOS Media Burundi)