Postpone Burundi presidential poll: East African leaders

DAR ES SALAAM: Burundi should postpone its July 15 presidential elections until July 30 because of continuing protests against President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid to seek a third term in office, East African leaders said Monday.
The East African Community (EAC) announced it had appointed Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to facilitate talks between the Burundian government and the opposition.
Nkurunziza did not attend the EAC summit, in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam, which was called to discuss the Burundi crisis.
"All the leaders in attendance agreed that the conditions on the ground today cannot allow for fair and credible elections," said a Ugandan official who attended the summit.
Museveni is due to replace Abdoulaye Bathily, the United Nations special envoy to Burundi, who had acted as a mediator.
Burundi's ruling party, the CNDD-FDD, on Sunday issued a statement asking Bathily to step down. It has accused the UN representative of siding with the opposition.
Burundian opposition leader Agathon Rwasa expressed skepticism about the mediation of Museveni, who has been in power in Uganda since 1986. Rwasa said he thought such a leader "will not do much" to break the deadlock.
Gunfire and grenade explosions were meanwhile reported in Bujumbura.
A Burundian general who backed a failed coup attempt in May meanwhile said that the coup plotters were still planning to overthrow Nkurunziza.
About 80 people have been killed during more than two months of protests against Nkurunziza's bid for a third term, which critics see as violating the constitution. More than 140,000 people have fled the country.
Nkurunziza ignored calls to postpone the June 29 parliamentary elections, which were boycotted by the opposition. The election results are still to be made public. – dpa