Violence as Burundi Votes with President Seeking Re-Election

Local Editor

Burundians voted Tuesday amid gunfire and grenade blasts, with President Pierre Nkurunziza widely expected to win a third consecutive term despite international condemnation and thousands of people fleeing feared violence.

At least two people -- a policeman and a civilian -- were killed in a string of explosions and gunfire overnight Monday, with blasts and shootings heard as polls opened shortly after dawn in the capital Bujumbura, the epicenter of three months of anti-government protests.

Willy Nyamitwe, Nkurunziza's chief communications advisor, condemned the attacks as "terrorist acts" aimed at "intimidating voters".

Opposition and civil society groups had denounced Nkurunziza's candidacy as unconstitutional and a violation of a peace deal that ended a dozen years of civil war and ethnic massacres in 2006.

Around 3.8 million Burundians are eligible to vote between 06:00 [0400 GMT] and 16:00 [1300 GMT].

Further, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged calm, calling on all sides to "refrain from any acts of violence that could compromise the stability of Burundi and the region."

Critics fear a win by the incumbent will be a hollow victory, leaving him ruling over a deeply divided nation.

"Despite a facade of pluralism, this is an election with only one candidate, where Burundians already know the outcome," said Thierry Vircoulon from the International Crisis Group, a think-tank that had warned the situation has all the ingredients to kick-start renewed civil war.

With the elections denounced by the opposition as a sham, the 51-year-old president is facing no serious competition.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team