Vice-President of Burundi Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Vice-President of the Republic of Burundi
Coat of arms of Burundi
Incumbent Prosper Bazombanza since 23 June 2020
Term length	5 years
Inaugural holder	Frédéric Bamvuginyumvira (First Vice-President) Mathias Sinamenye (Second Vice-President)
Formation	11 June 1998
Website	Official Website: https://www.presidence.gov.bi/le-president/les-vice-presidents/

The Vice-President of the Republic of Burundi is an important leader in the country's government. This role was created in June 1998. It took the place of the Prime Minister position. The Vice-President helps the President lead the country.

Understanding the Vice-President of Burundi
Important Political Parties
Who Has Been Vice-President?
More to Explore
See also

Understanding the Vice-President of Burundi

How the Role Began

The job of Vice-President started when a new temporary set of rules, called a transitional constitution, began in June 1998. Before this, Burundi had a Prime Minister. The new system aimed to share power and bring stability.

Changes Over Time: 1998-2005

From 1998 to 2001, Burundi had an interim period. During this time, Pierre Buyoya became President. He had taken power in 1996. President Buyoya appointed two Vice-Presidents:

The 1st Vice-President was in charge of political and administrative matters.
The 2nd Vice-President handled economic and social issues.

This setup helped different groups work together in the government.

A new power-sharing government started in November 2001. President Buyoya served for 18 months. After his term, Domitien Ndayizeye became President. He then appointed Alphonse-Marie Kadege as Vice-President. Later, Frédéric Ngenzebuhoro replaced Kadege. This period was also a time of transition, leading up to new elections.

The Vice-Presidency from 2005 to 2018

In 2005, Burundi approved a new constitution. This constitution also called for two Vice-Presidents, similar to the earlier setup:

The 1st Vice-President managed political and administrative tasks.
The 2nd Vice-President focused on social and economic matters.

An important rule was that one Vice-President had to be from the Hutu ethnic group and the other from the Tutsi ethnic group. This was to ensure fair representation. Both had to be approved by the parliament.

On August 29, 2005, President Pierre Nkurunziza nominated Martin Nduwimana as 1st Vice-President and Alice Nzomukunda as 2nd Vice-President. They were both approved and sworn in. Over the years, some Vice-Presidents changed. For example, Alice Nzomukunda resigned in 2006 and was replaced by Marina Barampama. Later, Gabriel Ntisezerana and Yves Sahinguvu also served in these roles. In 2010, Therence Sinunguruza and Gervais Rufyikiri took office.

The Vice-Presidency Since 2018

In May 2018, Burundi made new changes to its constitution. These changes meant that the job of the Second Vice-President would be removed. Now, there is only one Vice-President. This single Vice-President has fewer powers than before. The person chosen for this role must belong to a different political party and ethnic group than the President. This helps keep power balanced. The current Vice-President is Prosper Bazombanza, who took office on June 23, 2020.

Important Political Parties

Here are some of the main political parties mentioned in the history of Burundi's Vice-Presidency:

Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU)
Union for National Progress (UPRONA)
National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD–FDD)

Who Has Been Vice-President?

This table shows the people who have served as Vice-President of Burundi.

Name	Portrait	Time in Office			Ethnic Group	Political Party		President(s)
Name	Portrait	Started	Ended	Length of Service	Ethnic Group	Political Party		President(s)
Frédéric Bamvuginyumvira First Vice-President		11 June 1998	1 November 2001	3 years, 143 days	Hutu		FRODEBU	Buyoya
Mathias Sinamenye Second Vice-President		11 June 1998	1 November 2001	3 years, 143 days	Tutsi		UPRONA	Buyoya
Domitien Ndayizeye Vice-President		1 November 2001	30 April 2003	1 year, 180 days	Hutu		FRODEBU	Buyoya
Alphonse-Marie Kadege Vice-President		30 April 2003	11 November 2004	1 year, 195 days	Tutsi		UPRONA	Ndayizeye
Frédéric Ngenzebuhoro Vice-President		11 November 2004	29 August 2005	301 days	Tutsi		UPRONA	Ndayizeye
Martin Nduwimana First Vice-President		29 August 2005	7 November 2007	2 years, 70 days	Tutsi		UPRONA	Nkurunziza
Alice Nzomukunda Second Vice-President		29 August 2005	5 September 2006	1 year, 7 days	Hutu		CNDD–FDD	Nkurunziza
Marina Barampama Second Vice-President		7 September 2006	8 February 2007	154 days	Hutu		CNDD–FDD	Nkurunziza
Gabriel Ntisezerana Second Vice-President		12 February 2007	28 August 2010	3 years, 197 days	Hutu		CNDD–FDD	Nkurunziza
Yves Sahinguvu First Vice-President		8 November 2007	August 2010	2 years, 266 days	Tutsi		UPRONA	Nkurunziza
Thérence Sinunguruza First Vice-President		28 August 2010	October 2013	3 years, 34 days	Tutsi		UPRONA	Nkurunziza
Bernard Busokoza First Vice-President		October 2013	1 February 2014	123 days	Tutsi		UPRONA	Nkurunziza
Prosper Bazombanza First Vice-President		14 February 2014	20 August 2015	1 year, 187 days	Tutsi		UPRONA	Nkurunziza
Gervais Rufyikiri Second Vice-President		28 August 2010	20 August 2015	4 years, 357 days	Hutu		CNDD–FDD	Nkurunziza
Gaston Sindimwo First Vice-President		20 August 2015	23 June 2020	4 years, 308 days	Tutsi		UPRONA	Nkurunziza Ndayishimiye
Joseph Butore Second Vice-President		20 August 2015	23 June 2020	4 years, 308 days	Hutu		CNDD–FDD	Nkurunziza Ndayishimiye
Prosper Bazombanza Vice-President		23 June 2020	Incumbent	5 years, 59 days	Tutsi		UPRONA	Ndayishimiye