UN’s Ban calls for postponement of Burundi elections

Elections in Burundi should be postponed, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday, after opposition parties announced they were boycotting the upcoming polls.

The central African nation has been plunged into violent turmoil since April when the president launched a drive to serve a third consecutive five-year term.

Tens of thousands of people have fled Burundi seeking refuge in neighboring countries.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled for Monday and the presidential vote on July 15.

In a statement, Ban said Burundi needed a delay to create “a conducive environment for inclusive, peaceful and transparent elections.”

Opponents say President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for another term is unconstitutional and violates a peace accord that ended 13 years of civil war in 2006.