In Burundi, voters head to the polls amid gunfire and explosions

A bomb blast in Burundi.
(Image credit: Jennifer Huxta/AFP/Getty Images)

As voters went to the polls in Burundi on Tuesday, they were met with the sounds of gunfire and grenade blasts.

President Pierre Nkurunzizas is expected to win a third consecutive term; opposition groups say his candidacy is unconstitutional and violates a 2006 peace treaty that ended a 12-year civil war. On Monday night, a police officer and civilian were killed amid violence; at least 100 people have died over the past three months during anti-government protests held in the capital of Bujumbura.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.