Burundi’s Ministry of the Interior on Monday delivered a positive assessment of the first week of electoral campaigning for the legislative and communal council elections, even as opposition parties continue to report widespread incidents of political intolerance and intimidation.
Speaking at a press conference in the economic capital Bujumbura, Interior Minister Martin Niteretse, who oversees political parties, praised the peaceful conduct of the campaign period that began on May 13.
“The ministry is very satisfied with the smooth progress of this campaign across the entire territory of Burundi,” said Minister Niteretse. “It is a campaign taking place in peace, where all competitors are freely canvassing wherever they choose. This is a sign that democracy is now a reality in Burundi.”
However, opposition voices have sharply contested this narrative.
Anicet Niyonkuru, president of CDP party, accused local officials and ruling party members of systematically obstructing their campaign activities.
“In Marangara commune, Kagina hill, a CNDD-FDD representative stopped our mobilizers and demanded their voter cards. That is blatantly unfair,” Niyonkuru said.
He added that in Musongati, a CDP campaign vehicle was held for three hours because it was playing party songs. “Inside the vehicle was a Member of Parliament. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to block our campaign efforts,” he said.
Niyonkuru also alleged similar incidents in Kayanza province, where CDP mobilizers were reportedly prevented from campaigning, and in Rutovu, Bururi province, where ruling party youth known as Imbonerakure allegedly attempted to tie up the party’s activists using ropes.
“It is thanks to the intervention of local residents that our activists weren’t physically restrained,” he said. “But the threats were enough to halt their work. These are just a few examples, but they show the campaign is not unfolding under the fair conditions promised by the president and the CNDD-FDD leadership.”
Minister Niteretse, however, dismissed these accusations, calling them part of a long-standing smear campaign against the Imbonerakure youth wing.
“There has long been a campaign to paint Imbonerakure as delinquents,” he said. “But when individuals commit unlawful acts, they are punished. Even yesterday, individuals who mistreated members of the CNL (National Congress for Liberty) in Bubanza were arrested.”
“The law applies to everyone—regardless of political affiliation,” Niteretse stressed.
Meanwhile, the opposition coalition Burundi Bwa Bose echoed concerns of escalating violence. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the coalition reported that its representative, Dismas Minani, and colleagues were attacked in Ngozi commune by Imbonerakure youths. “They were tied up and robbed of their belongings, including a motorcycle,” the post claimed.
These are not isolated incidents. Last week, the same coalition accused ruling party supporters of intimidating its members during the early days of the campaign. The CNL party had also voiced similar concerns at the campaign’s official launch.
These developments come despite President Évariste Ndayishimiye’s earlier appeal for fairness. At a campaign launch event in the political capital Gitega earlier this month, the president urged local administrators to treat all political parties equally.
“The state, as the father of all Burundians, asks its institutions to remain impartial and provide equal rights to all those participating in the campaign,” he said.
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