BUJUMBURA, Oct 7 (ABP) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) held a press briefing on Friday, October 3, 2025, to provide clarifications on how various appeals and complaints related to the elections of village or neighborhood councillors are being handled.
During the briefing, the CENI chairman, Prosper Ntahorwamiye, began by recalling certain provisions from different articles of the Electoral Code. He clarified that for presidential, legislative, and referendum elections, appeals by candidates or any concerned party must be filed with the CEPI. If the appellant is not satisfied, they may lodge an appeal before the Constitutional Court. The latter issues a final ruling in accordance with Article 84 of the Electoral Code, which states: “The Constitutional Court is competent to hear appeals related to presidential, legislative, and referendum elections.” Decisions of the Constitutional Court are final, he emphasized.
For local elections, a distinction is made between communal council elections and village or neighborhood council elections, he explained. Regarding communal council elections, Article 74, paragraph 4 of the Electoral Code provides: “Appeals must be submitted to the CEPI within two calendar days following the provisional announcement of results. The CEPI rules within three calendar days. If the appellant is not satisfied, they may appeal to the CENI within three calendar days following notification of the decision. The CENI rules within four calendar days of being seized. The CENI’s decisions are final. These are transmitted to the CEPI, which then proceeds with the announcement of final results. These results are forwarded to the CENI.”
For village or neighborhood council elections, Article 73, paragraph 2 provides: “Any appeals must be submitted to the CECI within three calendar days following the provisional announcement of results. The CECI rules within the following six calendar days. If the appellant is not satisfied, they may appeal to the CEPI within four calendar days of the notification of the decision. The CEPI rules within four calendar days of being seized. The decisions of the CEPI are final.”
Through this same press briefing, the CENI sought to inform the public that, out of the 3,044 villages and/or neighborhoods across the territory of the Republic of Burundi, a total of 17 appeals related to village council elections had been received by the CENI as of September 30, 2025. These come from 17 villages or neighborhoods, representing just 0.55%, with most originating from the Ntahangwa commune in Bujumbura province.
The CENI has regularly followed up with the CEPIs on the processing of these appeals. The CENI has also received monitoring reports on the final results of the village or neighborhood council elections in accordance with Article 169, paragraph 2 of the Electoral Code.
In light of the legal provisions mentioned above, Prosper Ntahorwamiye stated that the CENI acknowledges the decisions of the CEPI as final, and that the elections of the village and neighborhood councils held on August 25, 2025, are now concluded. He noted that the institutions resulting from these elections have been operational since September 17, 2025, in accordance with the electoral calendar.
The CENI chairman also pointed out that if any candidate remains dissatisfied, they may take their case to the courts, and the CENI will respect the decisions rendered by the judiciary.