In Burundi, the ruling CNDD-FDD party has secured almost all seats in Parliament and appointed loyal governors to the new provinces.
On July 3, 2025, the Burundian Senate approved the appointment of the five new provincial governors, proposed by President Évariste Ndayishimiye. This marks the first official composition following the recent administrative reform that redrew the country’s territorial map, reducing the number of provinces from eighteen to five. This reform is part of a broader project of political centralization and institutional simplification.
The new governors will lead
the five redefined provinces as follows:
– Bujumbura will be administered by Aloys Ndayikengurukiye, former Director-General of Sosumo, one of the country’s main sugar companies.
– Gitega, Burundi’s political and symbolic capital, has been entrusted to Liboire Bigirimana, former spokesperson for the Ministry of Education.
– Buhumuza will be led by
Denise Ndaruhekere, previously the chief of staff for the governor of Muyinga.
– Butanyerera will be under the guidance of Police Brigadier General Victor Segasago, former governor of Kirundo province.
– Burunga has been assigned to Parfait Mboninyibuka, formerly a Member of the National Assembly.
The selection of the new governors, all coming from trusted positions within the
state apparatus or the ruling CNDD-FDD party, confirms the executive’s intent to maintain strong political control over the territory, entrusting the levers of provincial power to loyal and proven figures. General Segasago, in particular, symbolizes the executive’s deep roots in the security and administrative discipline sectors.
These appointments come just weeks after the validation of the legislative election results held on June 5, 2025. On June 20, the Constitutional Court officially allocated 108 out of 111 seats to the CNDD-FDD party, which has governed the country continuously since 2005. The remaining three seats were reserved for representatives of the Twa ethnic minority, as stipulated by the Constitution.
The elections took place in a climate of tight control, lacking genuine political competition. The main opposition party, the CNL led by Agathon Rwasa, had already been marginalized from the political scene in 2023 through a process that included arrests, intimidation, and restrictions on the right to participate. International organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have reported serious violations of civil liberties, citing the intimidating actions of the youth militias linked to the ruling party, the Imbonerakure.
With a declared participation rate of 98.7%, the election results have raised strong doubts among independent observers and international NGOs, who noted irregularities and a lack of pluralism. However, the Constitutional Court rejected all appeals, stating there was insufficient evidence of fraud.
The combination of these events—the administrative reform, the centralized appointment of governors, and the plebiscitary election result—marks a further consolidation of power by the CNDD-FDD and President Ndayishimiye. After years of transition following Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial government, the current leadership has strengthened its dominance, reducing space for dissent and promoting a narrative of stability and institutional order.
However, observers and analysts fear that this centralization, while presented as a rationalization of state power, risks stripping the democratic process of its meaning, leaving little room for authentic representation and political debate
