In a statement, Ban called for Burundian leaders to “postpone the elections further in order to create a conducive environment for inclusive, peaceful and transparent elections”.
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The African Union Commission chair appealed to the Burundi government and all other parties involved “to take a full measure of the dangers threatening their country, respond positively to the urgent calls for dialogue and restraint”.
Polls in the parliamentary and local elections opened on Monday morning. All voting material had been delivered to more than 11,000 polling stations.
Burundi’s constitution limits presidents to two terms in office, but Nkurunziza and his supporters have argued that that he because was appointed the first time around, he could legally seek another term by election.
Burundi has been roiled by unrest since the ruling party named Nkurunziza its presidential nominee in late April.
Violent protests rocked the capital for weeks, pitting demonstrators against police who often fired into the crowd to quell the outrage.
Several top officials, including Deputy Vice President Gervais Rufyikiri and members of the election commission and constitutional court, have also fled for the same reasons.
The Chairperson of the Commission stresses the relevance of the proposal put forward by the worldwide Facilitation, composed of the AU, the EAC, the worldwide Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the United Nations and operating under the auspices of the current Chairman of the EAC, for the postponement of the local, legislative and presidential elections, which would have then taken place simultaneously on 30 July 2015.
Nearly five million people are registered to vote, but the opposition is boycotting the polls, claiming it is not possible to hold a fair vote. More than 100,000 people have fled to neighboring countries in the past three months.
Voting appeared slow in an election boycotted by the opposition and condemned by African and European nations as lacking the conditions to ensure it was fair.
But Ndayicariye said the commission had not received any official notification confirming the withdrawal from the vote, meaning that the election would therefore progress without delay.
Dr. Zuma says the AU will however, continue to do everything in its power to help the people of Burundi overcome the challenges at hand.
Opponents say his bid for another term is unconstitutional and violates a peace accord in 2006 that paved the way to end 13 years of civil war. “In Africa, boycott is another way of doing politics”. The opposition boycotted polls in 2010.
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There is concern that the unrest could spark a new conflict between Burundi’s majority Hutus and minority Tutsis, who represent 85 % and 15% in the population, respectively.
