1965 Burundian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Burundi on 10 May 1965, the first since independence in 1962. Voters elected the National Assembly, which had been reduced from 64 to 33 seats. They followed the assassination of Prime Minister Pierre Ngendandumwe on 15 January 1965, and were won by the ruling Union for National Progress.

Background

On January 15, 1965, Burundian Prime Minister Pierre Ngendandumwe was assassinated.Template:Sfn In response, Mwami Mwambutsa IV dissolved ParliamentTemplate:Sfn on March 4Template:Sfn and called for new elections.Template:Sfn New elections were declared on March 29Template:Sfn and were held on May 10.

Results

Senate

Following the National Assembly elections, the 16-member Senate was filled. Eight members of the Senate were elected by the members of the National Assembly—each representing one of the county's provinces. The eight Senate members elected a further four members, with a further four appointed by the King. UPRONA held eight of the 12 seats.

Aftermath

Despite the decisive victory by Hutu candidates in the election, King Mwambutsa IV appointed a Tutsi prince, Léopold Biha, as Prime Minister.

Tensions finally erupted into violence following an attempted coup by Hutu army officers in October 1965. The failed coup was followed by a major purge of Hutus in the armed forces. Hutu politicians and civilians were also killed. The following year Mwambutsa was overthrown by his son Ntare V, who was deposed in a military coup later in the year, ending the country's monarchy.