National Assembly of Burundi
Encyclopedia
The National Assembly is the lower chamber of Parliament
in Burundi
. It consists of 100 directly elected members (or deputies) and between 18 to 21 co-opted members who serve five-year terms.
Deputies are elected in 17 multi-member constituencies using a party-list proportional representation
system in accordance with the d'Hondt method
. Political parties and lists of independent candidates must receive over 2% of the vote nationally to gain representation in the National Assembly.
As a country that has been devastated by civil war
and persistent ethnic violence since its independence in 1962, Burundi's new constitution (approved in a February 2005 referendum
) requires that 60% of the deputies be from the Hutu
ethnic group, while the remaining 40% come from the Tutsi
ethnic group. In addition, three co-opted members represent the Twa
ethnic group. Women must occupy at least 30% of the seats in the National Assembly.
Election
s to the National Assembly took place on 4 July 2004. The National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy
(CNDD-FDD) won 59 of the 100 seats filled through direct election. The Front for Democracy in Burundi
(FRODEBU), who won a majority of seats in the previous election
held in 1993, won 25 seats. The Union for National Progress
(UPRONA) won 10, while the National Council for the Defense of Democracy
(CNDD), a breakaway faction of the CNDD-FDD, won 4. The small, predominantly Tutsi Movement for the Rehabilitation of Citizens-Rurenzangemero
(MRC-Rurenzangemero), won the remaining 2 seats. An additional 18 members were co-opted to meet the required ethnic and gender quota
s.
Immaculée Nahayo
, an ethnic Hutu member of the CNDD-FDD, was elected president of the National Assembly on 16 August 2005.
On 19 August 2005, the National Assembly and Senate Assembly
(acting as an Electoral College) elected Pierre Nkurunziza
president of the republic. He took office on 26 August 2005.
Parliament of Burundi
The Parliament of Burundi consists of two chambers:*The Senate *The National Assembly...
in Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
. It consists of 100 directly elected members (or deputies) and between 18 to 21 co-opted members who serve five-year terms.
Deputies are elected in 17 multi-member constituencies using a party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
system in accordance with the d'Hondt method
D'Hondt method
The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
. Political parties and lists of independent candidates must receive over 2% of the vote nationally to gain representation in the National Assembly.
As a country that has been devastated by civil war
Burundi Civil War
The Burundi Civil War was an armed conflict lasting from 1993 to 2005. The civil war was the result of long standing ethnic divisions between the Hutu and the Tutsi tribes in Burundi...
and persistent ethnic violence since its independence in 1962, Burundi's new constitution (approved in a February 2005 referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
) requires that 60% of the deputies be from the Hutu
Hutu
The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...
ethnic group, while the remaining 40% come from the Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
ethnic group. In addition, three co-opted members represent the Twa
Great Lakes Twa
The Great Lakes Twa, also known as Abatwa or Ge-Sera, or in English Batwa, are a pygmy people who are generally assumed to be the oldest surviving population of the Great Lakes region of central Africa, though currently they live as a Bantu caste...
ethnic group. Women must occupy at least 30% of the seats in the National Assembly.
Election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s to the National Assembly took place on 4 July 2004. The National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy
National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy
The National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy was the most significant rebel group active in the Burundi Civil War and became a major political party in Burundi...
(CNDD-FDD) won 59 of the 100 seats filled through direct election. The Front for Democracy in Burundi
Front for Democracy in Burundi
The Front for Democracy in Burundi is a progressive political party in Burundi.It was formed by followers of Melchior Ndadaye from the disbanded Burundi Workers' Party in 1986...
(FRODEBU), who won a majority of seats in the previous election
Burundi legislative election, 1993
Parliamentary elections were held in Burundi on 29 June 1993. They were the first multi-party parliamentary elections since 1965, and followed the approval of a new constitition in a referendum in 1992...
held in 1993, won 25 seats. The Union for National Progress
Union for National Progress
The Union for National Progress is a nationalist political party in Burundi, receiving most of its support from members of the Tutsi ethnic group. It is celebrated for its role in gaining Burundian independence. UPRONA's most famous prime minister and Burundi National Hero is Prince Louis Rwagasore...
(UPRONA) won 10, while the National Council for the Defense of Democracy
National Council for the Defense of Democracy
The National Council for the Defense of Democracy is a former ethnic Hutu rebel group that now functions as a political party in Burundi. The party is led by Léonard Nyangoma and holds seats in both chambers of Parliament .At the legislative elections in 2005, the party won 4.9 % and 4 out of 118...
(CNDD), a breakaway faction of the CNDD-FDD, won 4. The small, predominantly Tutsi Movement for the Rehabilitation of Citizens-Rurenzangemero
Movement for the Rehabilitation of Citizens-Rurenzangemero
The Movement for the Rehabilitation of Citizens–Rurenzangemero is a political party in Burundi. Formed in 2002, the party is led by Epitace Bayaganakandi and draws most of its support from the ethnic Tutsi minority....
(MRC-Rurenzangemero), won the remaining 2 seats. An additional 18 members were co-opted to meet the required ethnic and gender quota
Quota
-Commerce:* Import quota, a type of trade restriction* Production quota* Sales quota, a minimum sales goal for a set time span* Tariff-rate quota, a type of trade restriction-Electoral systems:* Droop quota* Election threshold* Hagenbach-Bischoff quota...
s.
Immaculée Nahayo
Immaculée Nahayo
Immaculée Nahayo Nyandwi is the first Woman elected Speaker of the National Assembly of Burundi. She held this post from 16 August 2005 to 2007...
, an ethnic Hutu member of the CNDD-FDD, was elected president of the National Assembly on 16 August 2005.
On 19 August 2005, the National Assembly and Senate Assembly
Senate of Burundi
The Senate is the upper chamber of Parliament in Burundi. It consists of no fewer than 37 and no more than 54 members who serve 5-year terms....
(acting as an Electoral College) elected Pierre Nkurunziza
Pierre Nkurunziza
Pierre Nkurunziza is a Burundian politician who has been President of Burundi since 2005. He is the Chairman of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy , the ruling party in Burundi, and also the current Chairman of the East African...
president of the republic. He took office on 26 August 2005.
Seats Won by Province
| Province | Party | Ethnic Twa Members |
Total Seats | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNDD-FDD | FRODEBU | UPRONA | CNDD | MRC | ||||||
| Bubanza Bubanza Province -Communes:It is divided administratively into 5 communes:* Commune of Bubanza * Commune of Gihanga * Commune of Musigati * Commune of Mpanda * Commune of Rugazi... |
3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 5 | |||
| Bujumbura Mairie | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 9 | |||
| Bujumbura Rural Bujumbura Rural Province Bujumbura Rural is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi. Former President of Burundi Cyprien Ntaryamira was born here.Bujumbura Rural Province is made up of the following communes: Mugongo-Manga, Isale, Mutimbuzi, Kanyosha, Kabezi, Muhuta, Nyabiraba, Mukike, and Mubimbi.The province surrounds the... |
3 | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | 9 | |||
| Bururi Bururi Province Bururi is one of the seventeen provinces of Burundi. It is also the largest. It includes the city of Bururi, the provincial capital, and the city of Rumonge which sits on the shores of Lake Tanganyika... |
1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | - | - | 8 | |||
| Cankuzo Cankuzo Province Cankuzo is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi. Located in the eastern part of the country, the province covers an area of 1,965 km². The provincial capital is Cankuzo.-Communes:... |
2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 4 | |||
| Cibitoke Cibitoke Province Cibitoke is one of the 17 provinces of Republic of Burundi.... |
4 | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | 7 | |||
| Gitega Gitega Province Gitega is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi. Its capital is Gitega. It has a population of about 675,000 and an area of 1,979 km².... |
8 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | 11 | |||
| Karuzi Karuzi Province Karuzi is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi.... |
5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 6 | |||
| Kayanza Kayanza Province Kayanza is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi. Its capital city is also called Kayanza.... |
5 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 7 | |||
| Kirundo Kirundo Province Kirundo is one of the seventeen provinces of Burundi with seven communes . Kirundo has three big lakes: Cohoha, Rweru, and Rwihinda. Lakes Cohoha and Rweru are located in commune Busone, and Lake Rwihinda is in commune Kirundo... |
4 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 8 | |||
| Makamba Makamba Province Makamba is the southernmost province of Burundi. The province has a population of 357,492 and covers an area of 1,960 km². The provincial capital is Makamba.makamba has six communes. Many refugees have returned from Tanzania to this province, especially to the communes of Kayogoro, Nyanza lac,... |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 6 | |||
| Muramvya Muramvya Province Muramvya is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi. The capital is Muramvya.It is also known as "Iwabo W'Imana". It has a unique cultural landscape .- Culture :... |
3 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 4 | |||
| Muyinga Muyinga Province Muyinga is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi.... |
5 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 9 | |||
| Mwaro Mwaro Province Mwaro is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi. Its capital is Mwaro.Mwaro one of two provinces that were created in 2002 as a result of splitting the Muramvya province; the other province retained the name of Muramvya.... |
1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||
| Ngozi Ngozi Province Ngozi is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi.The name Ngozi stands for blessing.... |
7 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 9 | |||
| Rutana Rutana Province Rutana is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi.The communes of Rutana are:* Bukemba* Giharo* Gitanga* Mpinga-Kavoye* Musongati* Rutana... |
3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 5 | |||
| Ruyigi Ruyigi Province Ruyigi is one of the 17 provinces of Burundi.... |
4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 6 | |||
| Total Seats | 64 | 30 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 118 | |||
See also
- Burundi elections, 2005Burundi elections, 2005The Republic of Burundi held several elections in 2005. The polls returned the nation to constitutional democratic rule after a devastating civil war that arose from long-standing ethnic tensions between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority....
- Elections in BurundiElections in BurundiElections in Burundi gives information on election and election results in Burundi.Burundi elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The National Assembly has 118 members, elected for a five year term by proportional representation with a 2% barrier...
- History of BurundiHistory of BurundiBurundi is one of the few countries in Africa, along with its closely linked neighbour Rwanda among others, to be a direct territorial continuation of a pre-colonial era African state.-Kingdom of Burundi:...
- Politics of BurundiPolitics of BurundiPolitics of Burundi takes place in a framework of a transitional presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Burundi is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government...
- List of national legislatures
- List of Presidents of the National Assembly of Burundi
- Legislative branch