Having opened East Africa's longest bridge, this country is on its way to building the longest bridge in the whole continent in bid to boost trade and tourism.
Some African leaders have in the past accused donor countries of trying to impose their values on the continent. Homosexual sex is illegal in Burundi, punishable by up to two years in jail.
As a result, these elections have been entirely funded by the government - a first in the history of Burundi and rare on the continent. All this has made the authorities there confident to push ahead.