Burundi began voting in its presidential election yesterday following a night of gunfire in which three people were killed, including two police officers, in unrest over President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term.

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

The gunshots and explosions kept away voters, although most polling stations opened at between 6am and 7am.

Burundi has been rocked by unrest since April when Nkurunziza announced he would run for a third term. More than 100 people have died in street protests against the president’s bid to extend his time in power. The strife triggered an attempted military coup in mid-May that was quickly put down by pro-Nkurunziza forces.

With some of the opposition boycotting the election and others saying they were not allowed to campaign, Nkurunziza, 51, is not facing a strong electoral challenge.

Among the few people who voted in opposition areas of the capital, Bujumbura, many allegedly tried to wipe off the indelible ink on their fingers fearing reprisals from opposition supporters.

Unlike in the capital city, a high turn-out was reported in Nkurunziza’s hometown of Ngozi in northern Burundi where the president voted at Buye Fondamental School polling centre.

"These elections prove that democracy is improving in Burundi,” Nkurunziza said after casting his ballot.Many fear that the presidential polls may provoke widespread violence.

Since independence from Belgium in 1961, Burundi has had four coups and a civil war that left an estimated 250,000 dead.

The UN refugee agency says at least 170,000 people have fled the country fearing electoral violence.

Nkurunziza’s critics, including his second vice-president, the deputy president of the Constitutional Court and the vice-chairwoman of the electoral commission, are among dozens who have gone to exile alleging death threats.

Opponents say Nkurunziza must go because the constitution limits the president to two terms. But the president’s supporters say he is eligible for a third term because he was chosen by lawmakers — and not popularly elected — for his first term in 2005.