(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Sitting in a quiet polling station in Burundi's capital Bujumbura, the four election officials have little better to do than listen to the radio.
Voters are shunning the ballot here in the key opposition Nyakabiga district, driven both by a fear of violence following weeks of unrest and a string of recent grenade attacks, as well as heeding a boycott call by the opposition.
But even in the strongholds of the ruling party, queues of voters appeared smaller than the 2010 polls, elections the opposition also boycotted.
"In one hour, we've had two people," said Jean De Dieu Kubona, who is in charge of one Nyakabiga polling stations, which has a total of 354 registered voters.
Outside, the street is quiet. Four party agents sit bored - two from the ruling CNDD-FDD and two from its ally, the Uprona party.
"People are afraid to come to vote," said Kubona. "They are also a bit lost because we changed the site at the last minute," in accordance with an electoral commission efforts to move polling stations away from the protest hotspots.
Kubona said he hoped more voters will come later once they see their "safety is ensured".
The troubled central African nation has been in crisis since late April over President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial bid to stand for a third consecutive five-year term, a move branded by opponents as unconstitutional and a violation of a peace deal that ended 13 years of civil war in 2006.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.