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Legislative and local elections held in Burundi on June 5 unfolded in an environment of restricted civic freedoms and a dismantled political opposition, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday. The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) said the ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD–FDD), won 96.5 percent of the vote and all National Assembly seats, along with nearly all communal council positions.
HRW Senior Great Lakes Researcher Clémentine de Montjoye stated: “Burundians voted in an atmosphere devoid of genuine political competition as the ruling party further consolidated power.” She added: “Against a backdrop of growing discontent over a deepening economic crisis and systemic human rights failings, the ruling party took no chances in the elections.”
Voters and witnesses interviewed by HRW reported similar forms of intimidation during the June elections. A voter in Bururi stated: “The Imbonerakure were in front of the polling station telling people to vote for the ruling party. All the workers at the polling station were members of the ruling party. The head of the polling station himself told me to vote for the ruling party.” Similar accounts came from Bujumbura, Cibitoke, Rumonge, and other provinces. One Imbonerakure member said: “We were told to do everything necessary to make sure that people only voted for the CNDD-FDD.”
Opposition figures, including former CNL leader Agathon Rwasa, were barred from running, and media coverage was tightly censored. “Officials of the electoral body told the media ‘not to talk about irregularities,’” a journalist told HRW.
The elections follow years of repression under President Évariste Ndayishimiye. In an August 2024 briefing titled “Burundi: Rhetoric versus Reality,” Amnesty International condemned the government’s ongoing attacks on civil society. The briefing highlighted violence, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and criminal proceedings against journalists, activists, and opposition supporters. Amnesty International cited the imprisonment of journalist Floriane Irangabiye for ten years over comments made during an online debate and the detention of five rights defenders in 2023 for “rebellion and undermining state security.” The rights group concluded that “there has been no improvement in the dire situation of civic space.”
The African Union and other observer missions praised the election’s peaceful conduct despite reports of ballot stuffing, inflated voter numbers, and restricted access for opposition observers. “Burundi’s democracy has been hollowed out, with a ruling party unaccountable to its people and unwilling to tolerate dissent,” de Montjoye said. “Without credible opposition, this election only further entrenches authoritarian rule and pushes Burundians further into a deeply rooted governance crisis.”
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HRW Senior Great Lakes Researcher Clémentine de Montjoye stated: “Burundians voted in an atmosphere devoid of genuine political competition as the ruling party further consolidated power.” She added: “Against a backdrop of growing discontent over a deepening economic crisis and systemic human rights failings, the ruling party took no chances in the elections.”
Voters and witnesses interviewed by HRW reported similar forms of intimidation during the June elections. A voter in Bururi stated: “The Imbonerakure were in front of the polling station telling people to vote for the ruling party. All the workers at the polling station were members of the ruling party. The head of the polling station himself told me to vote for the ruling party.” Similar accounts came from Bujumbura, Cibitoke, Rumonge, and other provinces. One Imbonerakure member said: “We were told to do everything necessary to make sure that people only voted for the CNDD-FDD.”
Opposition figures, including former CNL leader Agathon Rwasa, were barred from running, and media coverage was tightly censored. “Officials of the electoral body told the media ‘not to talk about irregularities,’” a journalist told HRW.
The elections follow years of repression under President Évariste Ndayishimiye. In an August 2024 briefing titled “Burundi: Rhetoric versus Reality,” Amnesty International condemned the government’s ongoing attacks on civil society. The briefing highlighted violence, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and criminal proceedings against journalists, activists, and opposition supporters. Amnesty International cited the imprisonment of journalist Floriane Irangabiye for ten years over comments made during an online debate and the detention of five rights defenders in 2023 for “rebellion and undermining state security.” The rights group concluded that “there has been no improvement in the dire situation of civic space.”
The African Union and other observer missions praised the election’s peaceful conduct despite reports of ballot stuffing, inflated voter numbers, and restricted access for opposition observers. “Burundi’s democracy has been hollowed out, with a ruling party unaccountable to its people and unwilling to tolerate dissent,” de Montjoye said. “Without credible opposition, this election only further entrenches authoritarian rule and pushes Burundians further into a deeply rooted governance crisis.”
The post Burundi elections marked by intimidation and absence of opposition: rights group appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.