The Senate (Kirundi: Inama nkenguzamateka) is the upper chamber of Parliament in Burundi. It consists of between 13 members who serve 5-year terms. The current Senate was elected on 23 July 2025 and consists of 13 members.
Under the newly promulgated 2018 constitution and following the new administrative division, the senate similarly to the national assembly saw its number of seats reduced. The senate goes from 39 seats to 13 seats starting from the 2025 legislative elections.
This change was first enacted with the recent election that was held on 23 July 2025.
Election process
In each of the country's 5 provinces, two Senators (one Hutu and one Tutsi) are chosen by electoral colleges of communal councilors. Voting takes place using a three round system. In the first two rounds, a candidate must receive a supermajority of two-thirds of the vote to be elected. If no candidate is elected in these rounds, a third round is organized for the two leading candidates, of which the candidate receiving the majority of votes is elected. Three Senators represent the Twa ethnic group and additional members may be co-opted to meet the 30% gender representation quota for women. Former heads of state were Senators by right under the previous constitution. Under the newly promulgated 2018 constitutions, this clause was removed.
History
The 1962 constitution of the Kingdom of Burundi provided for the creation of the Senate at the discretion of the Mwami and the National Assembly. A royal decree formally establishing the body was issued on 1 April 1965. Following the 1965 National Assembly elections, the 16-member Senate was constituted. Eight members of the Senate were elected by the members of the National Assembly—each representing one of the county's provinces, all of which were UPRONA members. The eight Senate members elected a further four members, with a further four appointed by the King. It was empowered to review legislation but not propose bills on its own accord. and the country's system of government was completely altered following Michel Micombero's successful coup in 1966. His replacement, Révérien Ndikuriyo, had made remarks comparing political opponents to cockroaches, similar to what politicians did during the Rwandan genocide, raising fears of another genocide.
See also
- List of legislatures by country
- List of presidents of the Senate of Burundi
- Legislative branch
- National Assembly (Burundi), the other branch of Burundi's Parliament