Burundi’s National Forces of Liberation, or FNL, has endorsed President Évariste Ndayishimiye for the May 3, 2027, presidential election, once again putting the party behind the CNDD-FDD’s candidate rather than presenting its own contender.
The decision was taken Sunday, Sept. 27, during an FNL congress, according to the party’s account of the meeting carried by Burundi’s state media.
FNL President Jacques Bigirimana said the party’s decision followed discussions involving representatives from across the country and Bujumbura. The party representatives cited what they described as achievements during Ndayishimiye’s first term, including increased participation by women in senior public positions.
The party also said its decision was influenced by what it considers shared objectives with the CNDD-FDD, particularly the promotion of peace and national unity.
Ndayishimiye welcomed the endorsement in a post on X.
“After the FNL held its congress and decided to support the person who will represent the CNDD-FDD in the May 3, 2027 elections, we would like to thank you for the decision and the willingness they have shown to work together,” Ndayishimiye wrote in Kirundi.
He said the decision reflected a willingness to work together to strengthen democracy, national unity, peace and development.
“They have chosen well, showing that we are continuing the journey we began together,” Ndayishimiye wrote, adding: “When we are all together, it is possible!”
The endorsement comes after the CNDD-FDD formally selected Ndayishimiye as its presidential candidate in April. The ruling party designated him at an extraordinary congress in Gitega on April 26.
A familiar political alignment
The FNL’s decision has a direct precedent. In 2020, Bigirimana was himself the FNL’s presidential candidate. CENI rejected his application, while approving Ndayishimiye’s candidacy for the CNDD-FDD.
On March 15, 2020, following his withdrawal of an appeal against the rejection, Bigirimana called on FNL members to vote for Ndayishimiye, according to a U.N. report on Burundi’s 2020 electoral process.
The latest endorsement therefore represents a continuation of an alignment that was already visible during the previous presidential election.
But the political environment surrounding the 2027 vote is markedly different.
A ruling party with no parliamentary opposition
The CNDD-FDD won all 100 directly elected seats in Burundi’s June 2025 National Assembly election. The legislature has 111 members in total, including co-opted members; IPU records the CNDD-FDD with 108 seats and three seats reserved for Twa representatives.
The CNL, which had been the principal opposition party and won 27 of the 100 directly elected seats in 2020, was barred from contesting the 2025 parliamentary election.
That parliamentary result provides important context for the FNL’s latest decision.
The question surrounding the 2027 presidential election is no longer simply which candidate will represent the CNDD-FDD. That question was settled months ago. The more consequential issue is how other political parties position themselves around a contest in which the ruling party enters with overwhelming representation in the National Assembly.
The FNL has now chosen to support Ndayishimiye.
Whether other parties make similar decisions, nominate their own candidates or seek to construct broader political alliances will become an important part of the campaign as the election approaches.
The FNL’s changing political position
The FNL’s current position is also significant because of its history.
The party emerged from the armed conflict that followed Burundi’s political crisis and later entered the electoral process as a political party. Its decision to support the CNDD-FDD candidate in 2020 marked an important shift from the period when the two movements were on opposing sides of the conflict.
The party is now again supporting the CNDD-FDD presidential candidate.
Bigirimana has framed the latest decision in terms of peace, national unity and what the FNL regards as progress under Ndayishimiye. Ndayishimiye, for his part, has welcomed the endorsement as evidence of a willingness to continue working together.
Neither side’s characterization by itself establishes how the endorsement will translate into votes in 2027.
The electoral significance of the FNL decision will ultimately depend on the size and organization of its support base, the participation of other parties and candidates, and the conditions under which the presidential election is conducted.
The clearest fact is political alignment: the FNL has chosen to support Ndayishimiye, the candidate already designated by the ruling CNDD-FDD, rather than put forward a separate presidential candidate.
Burundi’s presidential election is scheduled for May 3, 2027.
