Gender Quotas Database
Burundi
Eastern Africa
Single / Lower House
Inama NshingmateKa / National Assembly
| Total seats | 123 |
| Total women | 47 |
| Percentage of women | 38% |
| Election year | 2020 |
| Electoral system | List PR |
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution |
The National Assembly is composed of at least 100 deputies in rates of 60% Hutu and 40% Tutsi, of which a minimum of 30% must be women, elected by direct universal suffrage for a term of 5 years and 3 deputies issuing from the Twa ethnicity co-opted according to the electoral code. In the case that the results of an election do not reflect the percentages outlined above, it proceeds to the rectification of corresponding imbalances by means of cooptation provided for in the Electoral Code. (Article 169) |
| Electoral law |
Article 108 (1) of the 2019 Electoral Code stipulates that at least 30% of the members of the National Assembly must be women. In the event that the results of the vote do not reach the percentages referred to in the preceding paragraph, the National Independent Electoral Commission redresses the imbalances by including, on the lists having reached 2% of the votes cast, additional deputies belonging to the under-represented ethnic group or gender needed to reduce imbalances. (Article 108.2) In addition Article 127 (3) of the Electoral Code states that lists must take gender balance into account and that one in 3 candidates must be a woman. |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
According to the Electoral Law, if the election results do not fulfil the quota requirements, a process of co-optation will follow, whereby the Electoral Administration adds, from the candidate lists that have obtained at least 2% of the votes cast, more members from the under-represented ethnic group or gender until the quota requirements are met (Article 108 .2 of the Electoral Code). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Constitution |
”The elections of deputies occur following the ballot of bloc lists by proportional representation. These lists must have a multiethnic character and take into account the balance between men and women. For three candidates registered on a list, only two can belong to the same ethnic group, and at least one of three must be a woman” (Article 173). |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Upper House
Sénat / Senate
| Total seats | 39 |
| Total women | 16 |
| Percentage of women | 41% |
| Election year | 2020 |
| Electoral system | Indirectly elected |
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution |
… a minimum rate of 30% women is guaranteed. Electoral law determines practical ways and, with cooptation in due case (Article 185).
|
| Electoral law |
Article 142 requires a minimum of 30 % women in the Senate. If the latter percentage is not reached, the National Independent Electoral Commission, in consultation with the political parties and independent candidates concerned, shall co-opt by allocating to each party having reached 2% of the votes cast a number equal additional seats needed to address these gender imbalances. (Article 142.2 of the Electoral Code).
|
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
A minimum of 30% women is assured. If this last percentage is not reached, the independent National Electoral Commission, in consultation with the political parties or coalitions of political parties, proceeds with the co-optation by attributing to each political party or coalition of political parties having reached two percent (2%) of the votes cast, a proportional number of additional seats necessary to reduce these gender imbalances. (Article 142.2 of the Electoral Code). |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
The municipal council must be composed of at least 30% women. |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| No data available. | ||
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
The 2005 Constitution also stipulates a 30% quota for women in government posts (Article 129). In addition, Article 33 of the law on political parties stipulates that no more than three out of every four members of a party’s organizational structure shall be of the same gender.
Burundi uses constitutional reserved seats for parliament as it is decided that a certain percentage among those elected must be women. The reserved seats are in combination with a legislated quota since the Electoral Code states that lists must take gender balance into account and that one in four candidates must be a woman, meaning a minimum for the share of women on the candidate lists is set.
Sources
Legal Sources:
- Constitution of Burundi - Link
- Electoral Law - Link
- Political Party Law - Link
- Law on the Election of Local Government (amended through 2020) - Link
Other Sources:
- Parliament of Burundi - Link
- Electoral Commission - Link
- United Nations Security Council 2015 Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi
- IPU-Parline - Data on women
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Burundi on iKNOW Politics
- Brand, S. 2018. Political Participation of Women in Burundi. MDF Training & Consultancy Ede, May 2018.[Accessed: 2021-03-22]
- Guariso, A., Ingelaere, B., & Verpoorten, M. 2018. When Ethnicity Beats Gender: Quotas and Political Representation in Rwanda and Burundi. Development and Change. 49. 10.1111/dech.12451. [Accessed: 2021-03-22]
- Nzoyisenga, F. 2020.15 Years of Gender Quotas in Burundi: What’s the Impact? GIWPS.[Accessed: 2021-03-22]
- History of the Burundi National Assembly, http://www.assemblee.bi/spip.php?article420/
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