On eve of presidential vote, Burundi opposition urges boycott

Cyclists hang on to the back of a truck outside the capital Bujumbura, July 19, 2015, as the country awaits next week's presidential elections. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

BUJUMBURA (Reuters) - Burundi's opposition has urged voters to follow their lead and boycott the presidential election scheduled for Tuesday, saying the vote will deepen political deadlock in a nation with a long history of political violence and ethnic strife.

President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to seek a third-term in office has plunged the East African nation into its worst crisis since an ethnically charged civil war ended in 2005. Though street protests and a would-be coup were quelled, almost daily violence has left the country tense.