European Union election monitors on Thursday praised the conduct of Burundi’s local elections, whose results were rejected by opposition parties.
“The electoral process was generally conducted in line with international norms for democratic elections,” said the head of the EU observer mission to Burundi, European parliamentarian Renate Weber.
Weber was presenting the mission’s preliminary report to diplomats and journalists, three says after Monday’s vote.
“The EU observer mission hails the peaceful conduct of the poll in an environment made safe by the security forces and with a massive voter turnout,” she said.
Weber added that the electoral commission acted “with impartiality” during the poll “despite some measures that it was late in putting in place”.
Eight opposition groups have said the polls, the first in a four-month electoral marathon in the war-scarred country, were marred by massive fraud orchestrated by the ruling CNDD-FDD party of President Pierre Nkurunziza.
Provisional results from the electoral commission put the CNDD-FDD far ahead in the lead.
On Wednesday, the electoral commission told the opposition groups to back up their fraud claims with evidence. — Sapa-AFP