What you need to know

… about the Burundi elections on Monday 29 July 2015.

This is NOT the Presidential election in which President

Pierre Nkurunziza intends to run for a third term.

That takes place on July 15, 2015.

This is a parliamentary election in which more than 2,200

candidates, representing 16 parties, coalitions or

independent candidates are in the race for a seat.

Firstly …

What are the rules?

Under the constitution, based on peace

deals that paved the way for the end

of a 13-year civil war in 2006, there are

strict ethnic quotas in parliament.

What are the rules?

Parliament must be made up of 60%

from the majority Hutu people,

who make up some 85 percent of the

population, with the remaining 40

percent of elected seats reserved for

the minority Tutsi. At least 30 percent

of seats must also be held by women.

What are the rules?

Three extra seats on top of the 100

voted for are reserved for the Twa

ethnic group, which make up some

one percent of the population.

Extra seats may by handed to female

MPs or ethnic groups if the thresholds

required are not met in direct

elections.

What are the rules?

Some 4.8 million registered voters out

of a population of 10 million are due to

cast ballots for 100 lawmakers.

What are the rules?

Lawmakers are elected for five years

but can take up seats only if their

parties receive more than two percent

of the national vote.

CNDD-FDD

The National Council for the Defence of

Democracy - Forces for the Defence of Democracy

is

the ruling party of President Nkurunziza.

It is an ex-rebel Hutu group, whose youth wing is

the Imbonerakure, a fearsome group accused of

being a militia force by the UN.

UPRONA

The Union for National Progress, the main Tutsi party, and close to the CNDD-FDD.

FNL

The National Liberation Forces, another Hutu

former rebel group, once a CNDD-FDD rival

during the civil war, but now allies.

Independents of Hope

Candidates led by Nkurunziza's two main

opponents - Agathon Rwasa, formerly FNL

leader, and Charles Nditije, formerly UPRONA

head, who were ousted from their parties but

remain powerful challengers to the president.

MSD

Movement for Solidarity and Development, led

by exiled ex-journalist Alexis Sinduhije.

ADC-Ikibiri

The Democratic Alliance for Change is a

coalition of a dozen opposition parties,

dominated by the mainly Hutu party FRODEBU.

And finally ….

The opposition has threatened to boycott

elections, as it did in 2010, if it believes polls are

not free and fair, conditions it says so far have

not been met.