[JURIST] UN observers on Thursday said [press release] that the parliamentary elections held in Burundi [JURIST news archive] this week were unfair, not free and led to human rights violations. In the preliminary statement by the UN Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB) [official website], the observers said that the elections took place during a “tense political crisis” and “fundamental freedoms of participation, assembly, expression, opinion and information” suffered. It was also noted by the observers that three other organizations, including the African Union [official website], have observed and expressed similar concerns. The statement notes:

The Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI) conducted adequate voter registration and candidate nomination processes. However, the opposition parties repeatedly accused CENI of lack of credibility and independence. On 1 June, two commissioners resigned from the CENI claiming that conditions were not in place for credible elections and alleging external pressure… Nationwide, many Burundians went to the polls to cast their ballots for candidates of their choice. Episodes of violence and explosions preceded, and in some cases accompanied Election Day activities, mostly in Bujumbura.

Burundi has faced unrest since Pierre Nkurunziza’s [BBC profile] decision to seek a third term in April. The unrest intensified in May after the Constitutional Court ruled that he could seek a third term [JURIST report] in office without violating the country’s constitution, which states that presidents shall be universally elected into office for a term of five years and can renew the term once. Those opposing Nkurunziza’s bid for a third presidential term claim that both the constitution and the Arusha peace deal [agreement, PDF] that ended the 2005 civil war state that no one should be president for more than 10 years. Those backing Nkurunziza claim that this does not apply to him since he was not voted in for his first term but selected by lawmakers. In June Burundi opposition leader Agathon Rwasa said [JURIST report] that a presidential election must be held by August so that a newly elected government is in place by the time Nkurunziza’s term ends August 26. In May Burundi authorities arrested [JURIST report] political opposition leader Audifax Ndabitoreye shortly after he met with East African Community ministers in the capital city of Bujumbura. In April the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed concern [JURIST report] over actions by Burundian authorities ahead of its upcoming presidential elections. The OHCHR said [JURIST report] that the upcoming elections in Burundi place the nation at a critical moment in history, urging the nation to choose democracy in the elections.