Burundian president shifts legislative poll

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© Dai Kurokawa, EPA
Burundi's president on Wednesday postponed legislative and local elections by 10 days, as anti-government protests continued after a failed coup attempt.
The polls are now scheduled for June 5, presidential advisor Willy Nyamitwe, said, reports dpa.
But Nyamitwe did not say if Burundi plans to stick to the planned date of June 26 for the presidential elections, which have sparked massive protests over President Pierre Nkurunziza's plans to compete for a third term.
The postponement comes after African leaders, the European Union and the United States called on Burundi to delay the polls.
Opposition leader Agathon Rwasa said the delay in the parliamentary and local polls was meaningless.
"It is unfortunate that our president is always trying to joke with everybody," Rwasa said.
"The climate currently prevailing in this country is not favourable for elections. Besides, Nkurunziza's third term bid is unacceptable," he said.
A spokesman for the ruling CNDD-FDD party, however, said the postponement would give more time for campaigning.
"The ongoing electoral campaign raised some challenges" because of a new ballot system, Gelase Ndabirabe said. "This extra time is really welcome. We also hope that other parties involved in the campaign will take advantage of that extra time," he added.
In the capital, Bujumbura, thousands of demonstrators continued to oppose Nkurunziza's candidacy on Wednesday.
Heavy army presence was seen in the capital's pro-opposition neighbourhoods of Nyakabiga, Jabe, Ngagara, Musaga and Cibitoke, with soldiers firing into the air to stop protesters from marching towards the city centre.
One soldier was shot dead, apparently by the police, witnesses said.
Former intelligence chief Major-General Godefroid Niyombare attempted to seize power in Burundi last week while the president was attending a regional summit in neighbouring Tanzania.
Nkurunziza returned to Burundi two days later. The government has arrested 18 suspected coup plotters, but Niyombare has not been found.
Coup supporters and independent journalists critical of the government have reportedly gone into hiding since Nkurunziza's return.
The United Nations reported that nearly 105,000 Burundians have fled violence to neighbouring countries, with thousands seeking refuge in Tanzania.          

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