Burundian officials and ruling party youth groups used intimidation and threats to secure a sweeping victory in the June 5 elections, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday.
The CNDD-FDD party claimed 96 percent of the vote and all 100 parliamentary seats, results swiftly condemned by opposition parties as fraudulent and coercive.
HRW reported that ruling party operatives, including its youth league Imbonerakure, pressured citizens at polling stations and censored media coverage.
Witnesses described forced voting, ballot stuffing, and party loyalists supervising ballots—undermining the credibility of the democratic process.
“The ruling party took no chances,” said HRW’s Clementine de Montjoye, calling the vote “devoid of genuine political competition.”
According to HRW interviews, election officials and youth members directed voters to support the ruling party, often inside polling stations.
A voter recounted being ordered to vote for CNDD-FDD by the polling station chief, while others reported inflated vote counts exceeding registered voter numbers.
Journalists told HRW they were warned not to report irregularities, echoing accounts given anonymously to AFP before the election.
The Catholic Church, a powerful voice in Burundian society, also decried the vote, citing “suspicious ballot stuffing” and coerced voting.
Bishop Bonaventure Nahimana said electoral officials accompanied or forced voters into casting ballots for specific candidates.
President Evariste Ndayishimiye, in power since 2020, has oscillated between reformist gestures and authoritarian control, amid continued human rights concerns.
Burundi now faces a worsening economic crisis, with fuel shortages, soaring inflation at 40 percent, and reduced international aid.
An influx of refugees from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo has further strained the fragile nation.
Observers warn that without genuine political competition, Burundi risks sinking deeper into authoritarian rule and societal unrest.