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On July 23 Burundi’s parliamentary election, the third election in a series of five that are part of the country’s attempt to return to peace. They are the first elections held since the last rebel group lay down there arms in 2009, following that left an estimated 300,000 people dead in the four decades of independence since 1962.

President Pierre Nkurunziza’s CNDD-FDD party secured a majority of 82%. There was only one opposition group, UPRONA, because the rest of the opposition boycotted the elections. Unfortunately the day saw a relatively low turnout of 66% and more grenade attacks.

“The political situation is very confused. There is a kind of cold war and nothing is certain about the security of our country in the future.” – Landry: Amahoro Youth Club (AYC)

The parliamentary elections follow the Presidential election held on June 28, where only one candidate stood for election – the incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza.  The rest of the candidates pulled out, claiming that the district elections held at the end of May were rigged and several of the opposition leaders have gone into hiding, including Agathon Rwasa the leader of the FNL – the last Burundian rebel group to disarm -  or have been arrested and detained for several days.

“The opposition parties state that they will not accept the government of CNDD and all its institutions” –Landry: AYC

Although the security situation in Burundi has improved since the last rebel group lay down their arms, it is still fragile. Both elections were held against the backdrop of daily grenade attacks, killing more than ten people. Grenades are cheap and easy to get, and both the government and the opposition have been linked to over 100 grenade attacks this year.

For Burundi to rebuild its economy and have a lasting peace, it is essential that the next two elections will be a success.   However with violence surrounding the first three elections, turnout dropping each time, and the opposition parties withdrawing from the race, the political situation is frail.

“No to the violence, yes to the peace.”

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I’d like also to share a bit on the situation in Burundi, one week after the district elections. The points below are based on conversations I’ve had with a different people including reporters, election observers and members of civil society who have followed the closely.

• The turn-out was massive: 92%, I think it’s among the records for participation in a free and fair election.
• There were a number of logistic and organisational problems that caused the polls to be postponed twice, and even as the voting went ahead last Monday, some problems were observed here and there.
• The result has been a total surprise for everyone, including the ruling CNDD-FDD party which didn’t expect to win by such a large margin (provisional results suggest they won around 70% of the vote). Of course the opposition has rejected the results claiming that there has been massive fraud. However, they have yet to provide any proof and all the observers, media, churches and civil society have not noticed anything suspicious or abnormal at a large scale during the vote and the counting. A few problems were noticed here and there, but nothing large enough to affect the overall trend.
• There may have been intimidation, rumours and corruption of voters during the campaign. The ruling CNDD-FDD party has a lot of facilities and means, the current president has tried to be close to ordinary citizens as often as possible, playing football with them, participating in simple activities in remote areas to gain popularity. This means that some people could, for example, attend for an opposition rally of the MSD or FNL, knowing they would be voting for the CNDD-FDD in privacy of the voting booth.
• Another point to be noticed is what I call the “Burundian cultural attitude”. It is really difficult to know what a Burundian is thinking deep in his or her heart, there is a kind of hypocrisy that can confuse you. One political party may think it has a lot of followers while in reality it’s not the case. Questioned for what party they will vote, many Burundians used to say: ”It’s our secret”. With such uncertainty, it is impossible to predict the result of an election.
• 12 opposition parties are now threatening to boycott the rest of the polls due to be held over the summer, and are demanding the electoral commission resign. But they are isolated in their protests, and I don’t think their demands will be heard.
• On the ground, the situation is calm, with nothing alarming to mention. Let’s hope it will be like this for the rest of the electoral marathon and the Electoral commission will be able to clarify all the irregularities reported for a future free and transparent vote.

I hope this will contribute to enlighten you on the situation post-election. I will continue to keep you informed about this for a better understanding of the context in Burundi.

Landry, Amahoro Youth Club, Burundi

On Monday, Burundi held its municipal elections, the first in a series of 5 over the next few months, and the first since the last rebel group put down their weapons and ended the civil war.

Problems with insufficient voting papers in some polling stations meant the vote had been delayed from Friday 21st. The vote proceeded peacefully, with a huge turnout – official figures suggest around 90% of Burundian’s voted – and many queued from the early morning to ensure they had a chance to cast their vote.

Provisional results show a clear victory for the ruling CNDD-FDD party, receiving an average of 80% of the vote in the constituencies that have declared. However, opposition parties have expressed concern over the vote. An alliance of 8 parties have signed a joint statement alleging fraud, their main points are:

• Election observers from opposition parties were refused access to the vote count in some areas.
• In some places there were reports of ballot boxes being tampered with by election officials.
• The postponement of the poll gave an opportunity to manipulate the results.

The National Electoral Commission has denied these allegations.

Attending the vote, I noticed some administrative problems – mistakes were made in the lists of voters, and there was a lack of voting cards in some place. Also, the margin of victory for the ruling party is so large, that it raises the question of whether these were truly multi-party elections, and if the vote was free and fair.

In many ways the election was a success, they were peaceful and there was a huge turnout. But, questions over the counting, the transport of ballot boxes, and the size of the CNDD-FDD victory, need to be answered if Burundians are to be sure the elections are credible.

Bosco, Amahoro Youth Club, Burundi

STOPPING VIOLENCE BEFORE IT STARTS.
BIKERS MOBILISE FOR FREEDOM & TRANSPARENCY.

The bikers, on cycles and motorbikes, are the taxi drivers of the city, young men who in previous years have been used as pawns in outbreaks of political violence.

Burundi’s second general elections begin later this month, and there is great concern that the relative peace of the last year will be threatened by political manipulation. Many people have not received their ID papers and already people are reporting stories of violence and beatings at political meetings.

The 100 strong bike parade, supported by police offices, crossed the city, stopping traffic and drawing crowds of onlookers. Each biker wore a T-shirt with the words ‘carnaval de paix ‘ and handed out leaflets amongst the crowds, calling on people to work together for the reconstruction of Burundi.

The parade culminated in the public gardens at the centre of the city. The bikers and the gathering crowds came together to listen to speakers discussing the threat of increased violence in the upcoming burundi elections. The speeches covered issues of the history of democracy in Burundi, the reasons for voting and the dangers of political violence. Videos were projected across the square; showing the violence that ripped through Kenya in 2008, and a documentary following the fates of young men who had been used by rebel leaders and political leaders in previous elections.

The day ended with songs of peace and words of hope for free, transparent and non-violent elections.

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In the last two days 60 students from across Burundi have come together to put a stop to election related violence – before it starts.

Burundi faces elections this May, and the great fear is that political parties may use youth groups as military guardians for the leaders. If Burundi is to avoid what Kenya experienced in 2008 it is vital that young people, constituting 60% of the population, become the partisans of democratic, peaceful, transparent and fair elections.

The Amahoro Youth Club has organised this week’s training with 60 students to prepare them to spread this message amongst their friends and families. The training is a mixture of activities and talks from key players, such as the Coalition of Civil Society for Electorial monitoring (COSOME).

Following this training the students will set up ‘Amahoro committees’ in their universities to take this message to more and more people.

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