BURUNDIANS went to the polls yesterday in presidential elections despite violence that killed two police officers and one citizen overnight.

The two policemen were shot dead in the capital on Monday night, said Willy Nyamitwe, the presidential adviser for information and media, while the body of an opposition official was earlier found on a road.

Among those who voted in opposition-supporting areas of the capital Bujumbura, many tried to wipe off the indelible ink on their fingers for fear of reprisals from opposition supporters.

But President Pierre Nkurunziza, who is seeking a third term, arrived at a polling station on a bicycle, accompanied by his wife.

“These elections prove that democracy is improving in Burundi,” Mr Nkurunziza said after casting his ballot.

His selection as the candidate of the CNDD-FDD party was met by violent opposition protests that culminated in a failed military coup in May.