2020 Burundian general election

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Burundi held general elections on May 20, 2020, to choose a president and the National Assembly. The incumbent president, Pierre Nkurunziza, who had been in power since 2005, did not run. The opposition CNARED alliance decided to participate after years in exile.

Presidential election: Évariste Ndayishimiye of the ruling CNDD–FDD won with about 71% of the vote. His main rival was Agathon Rwasa of the CNL, who received about 25%. Turnout was around 73%.

National Assembly: The CNDD–FDD won the most seats in Parliament, with other parties like the CNL and UPRONA also winning seats. The National Assembly has 100 elected members, using closed-list proportional representation. Three members of the Twa community are appointed, and there are rules to maintain a 60–40 Hutu–Tutsi balance and at least 30% female MPs.

Background and issues: In 2017 the government introduced a voluntary election levy. Human Rights Watch said the CNDD–FDD youth wing and local officials pressured people to pay. The Burundi Human Rights Initiative noted irregularities on election day, including arrests of opposition members and people voting more than once, with long queues at polling stations. Because of COVID-19, there were very few international observers.