Three days after convening for its inaugural session, Burundi’s newly elected National Assembly has appointed its leadership, with Gélase Daniel Ndabirabe returning as Speaker for the 2025–2030 legislative term.
Ndabirabe, who represents the Butanyerera constituency and is a senior member of the ruling CNDD-FDD party, ran unopposed and secured 98% of the vote—109 out of 111 deputies cast ballots in his favor. The two deputy speaker positions were also uncontested: Fabrice Nkurunziza from Burunga was elected First Vice President with 99.1% of votes, while Boussessia Nkezimana from Buhumuza became Second Vice President with a unanimous 100% vote.
Thursday’s leadership election followed two days of heated debate over the Assembly’s internal rules. The main point of contention was Article 14 of the previous legislature’s regulations, which required that at least one member of the bureau come from a different political party than the ruling majority. This provision could not be applied this term as all 108 elected deputies belong to the ruling CNDD-FDD party, alongside three co-opted members representing the Twa ethnic community.
In the previous legislature (2020–2025), the deputy speaker roles were held by Sabine Ntakarutimana of CNDD-FDD—now among the newly elected senators for the next term beginning August 4—and Abel Gashatsi of UPRONA, a party that failed to secure enough votes in this election to gain representation in the Assembly.
The bureau election also comes amid ongoing political uncertainty. Three sitting ministers, recently elected as deputies, have yet to be replaced in government roles, raising concerns about a potential constitutional violation.
In response, the State Secretariat issued an urgent communiqué on Wednesday stating that since “the government is currently in a caretaker status, permanent secretaries are acting as interim heads of their respective ministries and are handling day-to-day affairs.” For decisions requiring higher-level approval, permanent secretaries must first consult the Civil Cabinet Chief of the Presidency, the communiqué clarified.
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