Burundi: Parliamentary elections postponed

BUJUMBURA, Burundi: Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza has postponed parliamentary elections for a week from May 26 until early June, as police on Wednesday battled hundreds of protesters, wounding at least one person, in continuing unrest over the president’s bid for a third term in office.
The parliamentary elections will be held on June 5 in the decree signed on Tuesday, Willy Nyamitwe, the presidential adviser for media, told The Associated Press.
Nkurunziza’s decision to delay the elections followed requests from the electoral commission, opposition politicians and the international community, said Nyamitwe.
The postponement comes after a failed coup last week which was triggered by weeks of unrest over Nkurunziza’s effort to extend his time in power.
Police were back on the streets Wednesday battling protesters, who have continued to demonstrate despite Nkrurunziza’s order for an end to the street actions. At least 15 protesters have died since the protests began more than three weeks ago when the ruling party announced Nkurunzinza would stand for another term.