Burundi election commission says Ndayishimiye new president

Burundi's election commission declared the governing party's candidate, Evariste Ndayishimiye, the winner of the country's presidential election amid accusations of rigging by the leading opposition challenger.

         People crowded during election

Ndayishimiye, a retired army general, won 68.72 percent of the votes in last week's ballot, while Agathon Rwasa, the main opposition leader, received 24.19 percent, the commission said on Monday. There was a turnout of 88 percent.

Since Ndayishimiye received more than 50 percent of the vote, he avoided a runoff.

Ndayishimiye was picked by the governing CNDD-FDD party to succeed outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose controversial decision to seek a third term in the last election in 2015 sparked mass unrest, violence and an opposition boycott.

Therence Manirambona, spokesman for the opposition National Freedom Council (CNL) said the party boycotted the announcement of results as it could not "back this farce", repeating allegations of "massive fraud" during Wednesday's election and the counting process.

"We have all the evidence and the real figures of these elections. We will seek justice," Manirambona told
the German news agency dpa.

Before the officials results came in, Rwasa had already alleged foul play, saying early numbers showing his CNL party heading for a bruising defeat were a "fantasy".

With 87.7 percent of registered voters turning out to cast their ballots in last week's elections, commission chairman Pierre Claver Kazihise described the turnout as "massive" and said the polling, which also included the election of members of parliament and local officials, was peaceful.