SUMMARY REPORT OF THE PLENARY SESSION OF MAY 23, 2024

In the year two thousand and twenty-four, on the twenty-third day of May, senators gathered in the Senate chamber for the 192^nd plenary session of the sixth legislature to analyze and adopt the bill establishing regulations and budget report for the 2022/2023 financial year.

This session which was led by Right Honourable Emmanuel SINZOHAGERA, Senate Speaker, was attended by 28 senators and a Government Representative, namely the Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Audace NIYONZIMA. It began as usual, with a prayer, at 12:40 p.m.

Opening the session, the Senate Speaker first welcomed the Honourable senators present and then, after a word of welcome addressed to the guest of the day, the floor was granted to him to present the explanatory statement of the above-mentioned bill.

In his presentation, the Minister indicated that the bill under analysis gives parliamentarians the opportunity to carry out ex post control of the execution of the budget and the management of credits granted to public managers.

This analysis, added Audace NIYONZIMA, also offers the elected representatives of the people the possibility of being able to appreciate the differences between forecasts and achievements but also to deduce the consequent measures for the following budgetary year.

At the end of the explanatory statement and the presentation of the report of the committee on the merits, the opportunity was given to the Honourable senators to express themselves in the general debate and ask questions for clarification.

To the question of knowing the reason which militates in large overrun of the amount which was planned for the exemptions, the Representative of the Government indicated that the overruns recorded fall within the legal and conventional framework of the obligatory exemptions which take place on behalf of the State and its entities or international organizations in the public interest.

Seeking to understand the reason why the low or even zero dividends observed for certain companies with public or mixed participation during the 2022/2023 budgetary year, the Minister indicated that dividends are generally calculated based on the shares available to the  State and according to the performances recorded by the company during the concerned financial year. For other cases, specifies the Minister, zero dividends are justified by the fact that certain boards of directors are slow to transmit the balance sheet reports carried out.

Regarding why the budget which was allocated to the stewardship of the Presidency of the Republic experienced a huge overrun compared to forecasts, the day’s guest explained that during this 2022-2023 budgetary year, Burundi was honored to organize and host many high-level events, leading to expenses which were not included in the forecasts.

Concerning the revenues which should come from MINUSCA and ATMIS peacekeeping actions, but which appear as zero revenues in the project, Audace NIYONZIMA responded that the revenues from these two peacekeeping missions were spent immediately to respond urgent needs of purchase of necessary equipment on the ground without the latter first passing through the public treasury account.

At the end of the debate, the bill was put to a vote and was adopted unanimously by the 39 votes cast, including 28 senators present and 11 proxies.

The session, which took place in a climate of total understanding, was closed at 15:57 with a prayer.