Gitega is the capital of Burundi since 2019. Located in the centre of the country, in the Burundian central plateau roughly 62 kilometres (39 mi) southeast of Bujumbura, Gitega was the seat of the Kingdom of Burundi until its abolition in 1966. In late December 2018, Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would follow on a 2007 promise to return Gitega its former political capital status, with Bujumbura remaining as economic capital and centre of commerce. A vote in the Parliament of Burundi made the change official on 16 January 2019, with all branches of government expected to move in over three years.