Burundi’s Constitutional Court has confirmed that the ruling CNDD-FDD party won all 100 seats in the June 5 parliamentary elections with 96% of the vote. The decision, announced Friday, solidifies the party’s grip on power that it has held for the past two decades.
The announcement came despite swift criticism from the opposition and the Catholic Church, who called the vote fraudulent. In some constituencies, the CNDD-FDD reportedly won 100% of the vote.
A recent report by Human Rights Watch alleged that ruling party officials and affiliated youth groups used intimidation, harassment and media censorship to secure a landslide victory.
President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who took office in 2020 following the death of longtime leader Pierre Nkurunziza, continues to face scrutiny over the government’s treatment of opposition groups. The main opposition party, the National Liberation Congress (CNL), has accused the CNDD-FDD of systematic repression since it came second in the 2020 elections.
Burundi remains one of the world’s poorest countries, listed by the World Bank as having the lowest GDP per capita in 2023. About 75 percent of the country’s 12 million citizens live below the poverty line.