Government & politics — Burundi

• history: several previous,
• ratified by referendum 28 February 2005 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic after consultation with the government or by absolute majority support of the membership in both houses of Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Senate membership and at least four-fifths majority vote by the National Assembly; the president can opt to submit amendment bills to a referendum; constitutional articles including those on national unity, the secularity of Burundi, its democratic form of government, and its sovereignty cannot be amended; amended 2018 (amendments extended the presidential term from 5 to 7 years, reintroduced the position of prime minister, and reduced the number of vice presidents from 2 to 1)

• chief of state: President
• Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE (since 18 June 2020) head of government: P
• rime Minister Nestor NTAHONTUYE (since 5 August 2025) cabinet: Council of
• Ministers appointed by president election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); vice presidents nominated by the president,
• endorsed by Parliament most recent election date: 20
• May 2020 election results: 2020: Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE elected president; percent of vote - Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE (CNDD-FDD) 71.5%, Agathon RWASA (CNL) 25.2%, Gaston SINDIMWO (UPRONA) 1.7%, other 1.6% 2015: Pierre NKURUNZIZA reelected president; percent of vote - Pierre NKURUNZIZA (CNDD-FDD) 69.4%, Agathon RWASA (Hope of Burundians - Amizerio y'ABARUNDI) 19%, other 11.6%
• expected date of next election: May 2027

Description

bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of: Senate or Inama Nkenguzamateka (39 seats in the July 2020 election); 36 members indirectly elected by an electoral college of provincial councils using a three-round voting system, which requires a two-thirds majority vote in the first two rounds and simple majority vote for the two leading candidates in the final round; 3 seats reserved for Twas, and 30% of all votes reserved for women; members serve 5-year terms) National Assembly or Inama Nshingamateka (123 seats in the May 2020 election; 100 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 23 co-opted members; 60% of seats allocated to Hutus and 40% to Tutsis; 3 seats reserved for Twas; 30% of total seats reserved for women; members serve 5-year terms)

• elections:
• Senate - last held on 20 July 2020 (next to be held in 2025)
• National Assembly - last held on 20 May 2020 (next to be held in 2025)

Election Results

• - Senate - percent of vote by party - CNDD-FDD 87.2%, Twa 7.7%, CNL 2.6%, UPRONA 2.6%
• seats by party - CNDD-FDD 34, Twa 3, CNL 1, UPRONA 1;
• composition - men 23, women 16, percent of women 37.2%
• National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CNDD-FDD 70.9%, CNL 23.4%, UPRONA 2.5%, other (co-opted Twa) 3.2%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 86, CNL 32, Twa 3, UPRONA 2;

Composition

men 76, women 47, percent of women 38.2%;

Note

total Parliament percent of women 38%

• highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 9 judges and organized into judicial, administrative, and cassation chambers); Constitutional Cou
• rt (consists of 7 members) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the Judicial Service Commission, a 15-member body of judicial and legal profession officials), appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president and confirmed by the
• Senate and serve 6-year nonrenewable terms subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; County Courts; Courts of Residence; Martial Court; Commercial Court

Summary

18 provinces

Regions or States

• Bubanza
• Bujumbura Mairie
• Bujumbura Rural
• Bururi
• Cankuzo
• Cibitoke
• Gitega
• Karuzi
• Kayanza
• Kirundo
• Makamba
• Muramvya
• Muyinga
• Mwaro
• Ngozi
• Rumonge
• Rutana
• Ruyigi; note- a law was passed in March 2023 reducing the number of provinces to five: Buhumuza
• Bujumbura
• Burunga
• Butanyerera
• Gitega
• with full implementation by 2025.

• Council for Democracy and the Sustainable Development of Burundi or CODEBU [Keffa NIBIZI]
• Front for Democracy in Burundi-Sahwanya or FRODEBU-Sahwanya [Patrick NKURUNZIZA]
• National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Front for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD-FDD [Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE]
• National Congress for Liberty or CNL [Agathon RWASA]
• National Liberation Forces or FNL [Jacques BIGIRIMANA]
• Union for National Progress (Union pour le Progress Nationale) or UPRONA [Olivier NKURUNZIZA]

• no citizenship by descent only: the fa
• no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

• Gitega (political capital), Bujumbura (commercial capital)
• note - in January 2019, the Burundian parliament voted to make Gitega the political capital of the country while Bujumbura would remain its economic capital
• as of 2023, the government's move to Gitega remains incomplete

ACP, AfDB, ATMIS, AU, CEMAC, CEPGL, CICA, COMESA, EAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICGLR, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Keith GILGES (since June 2022) embassy: B.P. 1720, Avenue Des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura mailing address: 2100 Bujumbura Place, Washington DC 20521-2100

telephone

[257] 22-207-000

Email address and website

• BujumburaC@state.gov
• https://bi.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission

Ambassador Jean Bosco BAREGE (since 11 January 2024); Chargé d'Affaires Geneviève NIZIGIYIMANA (since 3 October 2023)

chancery

2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone

[1] (202) 342-2574

FAX

[1] (202) 342-2578

Email address and website

• burundiembusadc@gmail.com
• https://burundiembassy-usa.com/index.php