BUJUMBURA, Burundi
Protesters blocked some voters from entering polling booths and voting in Burundi's legislative elections as tensions continue to mount over President Pierre Nkurunziza candidacy for a third presidential term.
Jeremie Kayuku, who lives in the capital Bujumbura, told Anadolu Agency that he had no intention to vote because he fears for his safety.
"Neighbors prevented me from leaving my house to go out and vote in another district. They threatened to kill me if I tried," Ezechiel Niyonkuru, a plumber in the capital's Cibitoke neighborhood, told Anadolu Agency.
Last week, the opposition and civil society launched a fervent appeal to Burundians to boycott the elections, as Nkurunziza had not given up on his desires for a third presidential term.
Originally scheduled to open at 6 am local time (0400 GMT), polling stations ended up opening at 8.30 am (0630 GMT).
"The voting process did not start on time because election officials arrived late due to last night's events," said Cyriaque Bucumi, provincial head of the Independent Electoral Commission in Bujumbura.
He was referring to the violence that hit some parts of the country Sunday night.
According to Edouard Mukoko, the provincial police commissioner of Ruyigi, one person was shot dead that night.
According Ntahorwamiye Prosper, spokesperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission, 3,849,728 Burundi are expected to elect 100 parliamentarians, as well as 15 municipal councilors per municipality.
Burundi has been rocked by protest since the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy named President Pierre Nkurunziza – in power since 2005 – its candidate for the June presidential polls.
The situation took a turn for the worse earlier last May when a group of army generals staged a failed coup attempt against Nkurunziza while he was attending a regional summit in Tanzania.
The opposition says Nkurunziza does not have the right to seek a third term, citing Burundi's constitution, which limits the number of terms a president can serve to two.
However, Burundi's Constitutional Court recently ruled that Nkurunziza's third-term bid would not violate the constitution.
The court ruled that, since he was elected in 2005 by parliament and not by the people, Nkurunziza's first stint in office should not be counted as a first presidential term per se.
