Burundi’s ruling party names President Ndayishimiye as 2027 election candidate

Évariste Ndayishimiye has been named the ruling party’s candidate for next year’s presidential election, cementing his status as the frontrunner in the upcoming poll.

The governing CNDD-FDD said on Sunday it had endorsed Ndayishimiye to seek a fresh seven-year term. The election date has not yet been announced, according to a report by Africanews.

Responding to his nomination, Ndayishimiye thanked party members for their confidence.

“As you have already seen, with what we have done up to now, I pledge to continue the work we are doing, with all of you, so that all Burundi profits in peace,” he wrote on X.

The 57-year-old leader came to power in 2020 following the sudden death of his predecessor, Pierre Nkurunziza. A former army general and long-time party figure, Ndayishimiye previously held several senior roles under Nkurunziza.

He was first elected in May 2020 in an election marked by allegations of fraud and the exclusion of a key opposition challenger. Ahead of the next vote, he remains widely seen as the favourite.

Opposition groups, however, have questioned the credibility of the upcoming poll.

Epitace Nshimirimana, spokesperson for the Movement for Solidarity and Development (MSD), said the vote would not meet international standards.

“Ndayishimiye has already spent more than five years without providing fuel, foreign currency or the basic necessities the population needs,” he said, warning that another term would deepen economic hardship.

Since assuming office, Ndayishimiye has attempted to balance limited political reforms with maintaining strong state control, at times loosening restrictions while preserving the power of influential security structures.

The United Nations and several human rights groups continue to raise concerns over alleged violations in Burundi, one of the world’s poorest countries with a population of about 15 million.

Recent events have highlighted continuing internal tensions. Earlier this month, Burundi’s information and communications minister died in what authorities described as a car accident, though investigations are ongoing.

In a separate development, former prime minister Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni was released last month on medical grounds after serving part of a life sentence for an alleged coup attempt.

Once a powerful figure, he served as prime minister from mid-2020 until September 2022, when he was dismissed following warnings of a suspected plot.

Burundi is still grappling with the legacy of the 2015 political crisis triggered by Nkurunziza’s contentious bid for a third term, which led to widespread violence, forced disappearances and mass displacement. The International Criminal Courthas said at least 1,200 people were killed and tens of thousands fled the country.

Ndayishimiye currently serves as chairperson of the African Union, a one-year role he assumed in February.

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