Results from elections in Burundi – which were held last week – showed the governing National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) emerging as the clear victor.
Its candidate for President, Evariste Ndayishimiye, a former military man, won over 70% of the vote. Agathon Rwasa, the National Congress for Liberty’s candidate, won just over a quarter of the vote. The rest of the vote was shared between five other candidates.
Elections for the National Assembly were also held, with the results being similar to those of the Presidential election. The CNDD-FDD won 70% of the vote and 72 seats in the 124-member legislature. The National Congress for Liberty secured 27 seats. The rest of the seats were split between the Union for National Progress (one seat) and co-opted members, including representatives from the Twa (or Pygmy) minority. Turnout was reported to be nearly 90%.
Ndayishimiye will succeed Pierre Nkurunziza, who has governed the central African country since 2005.
Rwasa questioned the outcome of the poll, calling the result a ‘fantasy’. International observers had not come to monitor the election and there were allegations by local civil society groups that there had been voting irregularities.
Burundi has taken few precautions to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. The country claims to have only had 42 confirmed cases and only one death.