Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza was Friday declared the outright winner of controversial elections, handing him a third consecutive term at the helm of the central African nation despite opposition protests and international condemnation. Nkurunziza won 69.41 percent of the vote in Tuesday's polls, handing him an immediate first-round victory, the election commission said. He won 16 out of 18 provinces, with the other two taken by his closet rival Agathon Rwasa - who won 18.99 percent - even though he had denounced the polls as illegitimate.
"We are very happy with this result," said Pascal Nyabenda, the head of Nkurunziza's ruling CNDD-FDD party, while insisting that the president will not be seeking a fourth term in 2020. "These elections were well organised and took place in a situation of peace and security. I don't know why a section of the international community say they were not credible.