Burundi has officially launched its campaign period for the upcoming legislative and district elections, starting Tuesday.
The campaign will run until June 2nd, leading up to the voting day on June 5th. A symbolic launch ceremony, attended by President Evariste Ndayishimiye, was held in Gitega, the nation’s political capital, on Friday.
The National Assembly consists of 123 seats, with 100 members directly elected and the remaining positions filled by co-opted representatives.
President Ndayishimiye’s National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD–FDD) party secured a supermajority in the 2020 elections.
The CNDD–FDD, established during Burundi’s civil war in 1998, has maintained its hold on power since 2005.
Burundian voters will also participate in Senate elections on July 23rd in the country, which has a population of 13.5 million.
This year is a significant election year across Africa, with at least nine presidential and seven legislative elections scheduled to take place across the continent.