One of Burundi's vice-presidents has fled
the country after saying that he could not support the third-term bid of
President Pierre Nkurunziza.
Burundi has undergone months of turmoil
since Mr Nkurunziza announced that he would be running for office again in
July's elections.
Gervais Rufyikiri told France24 TV that a
third term for the president was unconstitutional.
A government spokesman said the
vice-president is on a foreign mission.
Violent protests in the capital Bujumbura
followed the 25 April announcement that Mr Nkurunziza would seek re-election
Rights groups say at least 70 people have
been killed and 500 wounded as demonstrators clashed with police over the past
two months.
More than 100,000 people have fled Burundi
since the start of the crisis, the UN says.
Mr Rufyikiri said that he felt
"personally threatened" in a similar way to others who oppose the
president.
But a government spokesman said no-one had
been threatened.
The vice-president is the latest in a
series of high-profile Burundians to leave the country, including a
constitutional court judge and a member of the electoral commission.
Mr Nkurunziza's critics point out that a
third term contravenes the constitution, which requires the president to step
down after two terms.
But Burundi's Constitutional Court ruled
that his first term does not count because he was elected by parliament and not
voters.
In May, the president survived a coup
attempt.
The election was due in June but was put
back to 15 July following pressure from regional leaders.
The United Nations is currently trying to
broker talks between the governing party and the opposition to resolve
tensions.
BBC
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