The Burundi Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) has refused to recognise that the opposition boycotted the elections with the ruling party expected to sweep the parliamentary and communal polls.

CENI chairman Pierre Claver Ndayicariye said the letter informing the commission of the boycott had been signed by unregistered representatives.

“We don’t recognise that letter written by some opposition members that they have boycotted the elections. If you look at those who signed the letter, some representatives are not recognised by the government like UPRONA and FNL,” said Pierre Claver Ndayicariye the CENI chair.

With Agathon Rwasa party second in the race for parliamentary seats, the electoral commission said the opposition would take its seats in Parliament, a view dismissed by the opposition.

“We did boycott the elections and what we are witnessing is total fraud that had been planned earlier on, they have set the results a long time ago to justify the elections all this is just a makeup,” Agathon Rwasa told The EastAfrican.

Mr Rwasa said that he will not recognise the results of the current electoral process since the government remained defiant to the EAC and AU recommendations on postponing the elections.

"We even never did campaigns and most of my members were arrested. Can we say these elections are being held in a conducive environment?” He asked.

Ceni officials said some voters were allowed to vote in polling stations where they were not registered.

“Some had special cases like policemen, students and even ourselves since they may not easily access their respective polling stations,” said a CENI official in Kamenge, a Bujumbura suburb.

As some polling stations stayed open, many were relocated due to growing insecurity.

During the commemoration of the fifty third Independence Day held for the first time inside Prince Louis Rwagasore stadium in Bujumbura, President Pierre Nkurunziza sat behind armoured glass.

“Only those who felt like they should vote cast their votes and these are the majority of the Burundians. We are independent and we should fight against those who want to drag us back to war,” said the Burundian president.

President Nkurunziza said that the only way the country could achieve long term stability was only through elections.

"If the country doesn’t hold elections, it will be on the brink of getting back to war as many of you know.”

Growing tension

As Burundi celebrated its 53rd anniversary, on the other side of the capital in Mutakura and Cibitoke, six people were killed, seven wounded and four arrested according to the government.

“The chief of the patrol team in Cibitoke was killed by a grenade and some police officers were still in the suburb, that’s why we reinforced the security on the ground to rescue those officers who were still there,” said Burundi’s deputy police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye.

Mr Nkurikiye said that ten heavy weapons were confiscated during, but insisted it wasn’t a disarmament mission.

"This was not a disarmament mission as initially published by the media but rather the police were attacked while patrolling,” he said.

Burundi's civil society organisations have written a letter to the African Union (AU) and the international community urging them to impose sanctions on president Peter Nkurunziza and his government on grounds of continued human rights abuse.

"We call on the African Union and EAC not to recognise the outcome of the elections which president Nkurunziza forced to happen,” the statement partly read.