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               Burundi's Embattled Leader Approves Election Delay

   by VOA News

   Burundi's embattled president has officially delayed the presidential
   election, after weeks of protests sparked by his decision to run for a
   third term.

   President Pierre Nkurunziza issued a decree Wednesday that moves the
   presidential vote from June 26 to July 15 and that revises the dates
   for National Assembly and Senate elections.

   ''East African leaders and the United Nations had pushed the president
   to delay the elections in hopes of curbing weeks of violent political
   protests.

   More than 20 people have died during clashes between protesters and
   police.
   Protests began in late April after Nkurunziza said he would run for a
   third term as president. Critics say that would violate a two-term
   limit in the constitution, but his supporters say he is eligible to run
   again because he was appointed by lawmakers to his first term in office
   and not elected by a popular vote.

   ''On Monday, Burundi's electoral commission recommended revising dates
   for the elections. Under the president's decree, polls for
   parliamentary and local elections will take place June 29, followed by
   senatorial elections on July 24.

   Some opposition officials said the electoral commission lacks the legal
   authority to make any pronouncements because two of its five
   commissioners are believed to have fled the country.

   There has been little campaigning in the wake of the protests and a
   failed coup attempt last month in the capital, Bujumbura.

   More than 100,000 Burundians have fled the country since the protests
   began.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/burundis-embattled-leader-approves-election-delay/2815532.html