Burundi's electoral body considers postponing elections amid unrest in the capital

FILE - In this Tuesday, May 26, 2015 file photo, an opposition protester throws water to put out flames on a burning barricade set by him and others, when it started to burn overhead electricity cables providing power to the neighborhood, in the Buyenzi district of the capital Bujumbura, Burundi. Protests continued in the capital Tuesday, with demonstrators saying they will continue until President Pierre Nkurunziza steps down at the end of his second term. (AP Photo/Berthier Mugiraneza, File) (The Associated Press)

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A policeman fires live rounds towards opposition demonstrators to prevent them from reaching a main road, in the Mutakura neighborhood of the capital Bujumbura, Burundi Tuesday, June 2, 2015. Burundi's electoral commission is considering alternative dates for national elections amid growing calls for the polls to be postponed due to political unrest, an official said Tuesday as anti-government protests returned to parts of the capital. (AP Photo/Berthier Mugiraneza) (The Associated Press)

Policemen run down the road during confrontations with opposition demonstrators, in the Mutakura neighbourhood of the capital Bujumbura, Burundi Tuesday, June 2, 2015. Burundi's electoral commission is considering alternative dates for national elections amid growing calls for the polls to be postponed due to political unrest, an official said Tuesday as anti-government protests returned to parts of the capital. (AP Photo/Berthier Mugiraneza) (The Associated Press)

BUJUMBURA, Burundi – A spokesman for Burundi's electoral commission says it is considering alternative dates for national elections amid growing calls for the polls to be postponed due to political unrest.

Prosper Ntahorwamiye told The Associated Press Tuesday that a new electoral schedule is likely to be sent to President Pierre Nkurunziza before the end of the week.

Parliamentary elections are currently scheduled for Friday, while the increasingly fraught presidential poll is set for June 26.

Burundi's capital, Bujumbura, has been wracked by weeks of street protests after the ruling party nominated Nkurunziza for a third term — a decision seen by many as unconstitutional.

An emergency meeting by regional leaders last weekend called on elections to be delayed by at least six weeks, but the government has rejected any postponement.