African Union says Burundi election not free or fair, speaker flees

A member of Burundi's National Electoral Commission passes outside a class room that will be used as a polling station for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Niykabiga a neighborhood near capital Bujumbura, June 28th, 2015. REUTERS/Paulo Nunes dos Santos

BUJUMBURA (Reuters) - The African Union stood down its election observers in Burundi on Sunday, saying Monday's parliamentary election would be neither free nor fair, as the speaker of parliament said he had fled after being threatened and heavy gunfire echoed across the capital.

Residents of the capital Bujumbura reported hearing the sound of grenade explosions and heavy machinegun fire in northern and southern districts, after a night in which at least three people were killed.