BUJUMBURA, March 5th (ABP) – The Speaker of the National Assembly, Gélase Daniel Ndabirabe, closed the December 2024 ordinary parliamentary session at the Kigobe hemicycle on Friday 28 February 2025.
In his opening remarks, Ndabirabe reviewed the activities of the National Assembly in the areas of legislation, oversight of government action, representation of the people and parliamentary diplomacy.
In the area of legislation, he recalled that eleven (11) bills had been analysed and adopted. Those included the draft law governing Burundi’s Special Economic Zones (ZES); the draft law amending Law No. 1/19 of 28 June 2024 setting the general budget of the Republic of Burundi for the financial year 2024-2025; and the draft law ratifying the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft, signed at The Hague on 16 December 1970.
It also includes the draft law on the ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the East African Community Protocol on information and communication technology networks, signed in Kigali on 23 August 2013; the draft law amending Law N°1/09 of 13 November 2020 on the general organisation of public administration; the draft law amending Law N°1/02 of 4 February 2008 on the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism; the draft law amending Law N°1/02 of 3 March 2016 on the reform of communal taxation in Burundi; and the draft law ratifying the Framework Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Chad and the Government of the Republic of Burundi.
Ndabirabe also pointed out that the National Assembly had monitored government action by holding plenary sessions on various presentations, including the reports on the follow-up to the implementation of the Court of Audit’s recommendations by the communes of Gitega, Giheta and Ndava; the annual report of the Bank of the Republic of Burundi, financial year 2023; and the report on the state of maize and rice stocks collected in 2024, their marketing by ANAGESSA and the preparation of the collection campaign for maize and rice produced during the 2024 C and 2025 Α cropping seasons.
Some of those plenary sessions were attended by the members of government concerned, who responded to oral questions with debate put by MPs. Those included the ministers of the interior, community development and public security; finance, budget and economic planning; the environment, agriculture and livestock; and trade, transport, industry and tourism,” said Ndabirabe.
With regard to monitoring the activities of specialised institutions, the National Assembly received the annual report for 2024 of the Independent National Commission for Human Rights (CNIDH) and that of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Burundi. It also approved the president and vice-president of the Court of Audit, while electing two members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), revealed the Speaker of the National Assembly.
He did not forget to point out that the National Assembly took part in other major activities, namely the round table for the mobilisation of funding for the implementation of the vision ” Burundi: an emerging country in 2040 and a developed country in 2060″; the 14th edition of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) interparliamentary games, which took place in Mombasa from 6 to 19 December 2024; the swearing-in of the Honourable Nestor Ntahontuye, who had just been appointed Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning; the public conference on the presentation of the results of research on the German colonial period and the administrative reform of 1925 in Burundi, as well as the brainstorming retreat with a view to drawing up a national strategy to combat corruption in Burundi.
In terms of parliamentary diplomacy, the President of the National Assembly said he had received the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Burundi and the Chargé d’affaires a.i. at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Burundi, who met him on a courtesy and working visit.
As regards working missions outside the country, the National Assembly was represented at the 2nd statutory meeting of the FP-ICGLR Finance and Resource Mobilisation Committee; the 29th ordinary session of the FP-ICGLR Executive Committee; the consultative mission of the FP-ICGLR Executive Committee; the election observation mission to the Republic of Ghana; the session of the standing committees and related meetings of the Pan-African Parliament; and the 2nd Forum of Foreign Affairs Committee Chairpersons of African Parliaments.
Given that the end of the December 2024 ordinary parliamentary session comes at a time when Burundi, through the Independent National Electoral Commission, is effectively completing preparations for the 2025 elections, the National Assembly reiterates its encouragement to the defence and security forces to guarantee a climate conducive to the smooth running of the elections, by continuing to demonstrate bravery, professionalism and loyalty to the country.
The National Assembly took the opportunity to express its legitimate concern about the humanitarian situation that is inevitably resulting from the conflict in the east of the DRC, a region bordering Burundi. It supports the efforts of the government of Burundi to assist the refugees. It encourages any initiative aimed at helping those refugees, in harmony with government mechanisms.
The President of the National Assembly ended his speech by inviting the elected representatives to seize that free time to continue raising awareness among communities and local administrators of the values of peace, social cohesion, justice, patriotism, integrity and hard work.