Burundians went to the polls to vote for a new parliament on Monday, despite sounds of explosions and gunfire following weeks of violent protests against
President Pierre Nkurunziza's attempt to secure a third term in office.
Local news reports cited police as saying two grenades exploded in
Mayuyu district about 25 km (15 miles) southeast of the capital Bujumbura.
A spate of such attacks in recent days has killed four people and
wounded dozens.
Voting was slow in several districts given the fact the election is boycotted
by the opposition and condemned by the international community for lacking conditions
to ensure it was free and fair.
The European Union, a major donor to the aid-reliant country,
threatened on Monday to withhold more funds after Burundi ignored U.N. and
African calls for a postponement of the parliamentary vote and a presidential
election on July 15.
In Washington, State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner said there
were "woefully inadequate conditions for free and fair elections" in
Burundi and said the United States was "deeply disappointed" in the
decision to go ahead with the vote.
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| A woman and child (seen above) casts a ballot in Monday's largely boycotted election |
The government has pressed on with the election schedule despite going
through its worst political crisis since an ethnically-charged civil war ended
in 2005.
Opponents say the president's bid to stand again violates the
constitution.
Almost 140,000 people, or more than 1 percent of the population of 10
million, have fled across the country's borders, stoking concern in a region
with a history of ethnic conflict, particularly in neighboring Rwanda which saw
genocide in 1994.