BUJUMBURA, June 2 (ABP) – The Network of Election Management Bodies of Central Africa (ROGEAC), composed of the election commissions of Burundi, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, and São Tomé and Príncipe organized on Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Bujumbura, a constitutive general assembly to establish the laws and governing bodies of the said network.
In his speech, Martin Niteretse, the Burundian minister of the interior, community development, and public security first emphasized that holding this assembly marks a historic moment for Central Africa because “it demonstrates the collective will of our respective states to pool their efforts, share their experiences, and strengthen cooperation among election management bodies within this region of Africa.”
“Indeed, the credibility of electoral processes is a fundamental pillar of political stability, development, and citizens’ trust in our institutions,” explained the minister of the interior.
One week before the parliamentary and communal elections in Burundi, Minister Niteretse recalled that Burundi is pleased, on the one hand, to have made significant progress in electoral governance, and on the other hand, to host this general assembly, an innovative initiative this year.
According to him, the creation of this network will enable them to collectively address common challenges such as transparency, inclusivity, peaceful management of electoral disputes, acceptance of results, and adaptation to new technologies.
The minister reaffirmed Burundi’s commitment to fully support this network by encouraging the exchange of experiences and promoting regional integration for free, transparent, inclusive, and peaceful democratic elections.
The chairman of the ROGEAC organizing committee, Ambassador Calixte Mbari, specified that they came to build a useful, operational, and demanding space. He pointed out that it is an opportunity to learn from one other, how to develop good practices, aim for international standards, but also to innovate with clarity and ambition. According to him, political crises in African countries stem from poorly prepared, poorly accepted, or poorly managed elections.
As an election management body, Mr. Mbari indicated that they no longer want to be seen as scapegoats but as actors of stability and architects of democracy. That is why, beyond universal norms, they will develop their own electoral standards rooted in their realities but guided by the requirements of international standards, he added.
For his part, the president of the Burundi CENI, Prosper Ntahorwamiye, stated that the objective of this general assembly is to adopt the statutes, the internal regulations, an activity plan that will shape the election management body for Central Africa, and to establish the organs of this network.
According to him, this assembly also aims to exchange experiences and collaboration reports between the election management bodies of their member states.