Burundi electoral commission says incumbent president wins 1-man poll after opposition boycott

Burundi president wins re-election in 1-man poll

BUJUMBURA, Burundi — Burundi’s electoral commission says the lone candidate in the country’s presidential election has won by a landslide.

The National Electoral Commission said Wednesday incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza won more than 91 percent of the vote with 77 percent voter turnout. Officials had predicted that a spate of grenade attacks would scare off voters.

At least eight people have been killed and more than 50 people wounded in almost 60 explosions since June, raising fears of a return to violence seen during the country’s recent civil war.

Monday’s vote was the second direct presidential vote in the tiny Central African nation since its 1962 independence from Belgium. Opposition members boycotted the vote, saying they feared it would be rigged.