Counting is under way in Burundi after voters cast their ballots in a referendum that could extend President Pierre Nkurunziza’s rule until 2034.

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Polling stations closed at 14:00 GMT on Thursday and the Independent National Election Commission has 48 hours to announce the results.

About 4.8 million people, just under half the population, signed up to vote, the commission said.

The referendum asks voters to say "yes" or "no" to constitutional amendments that would allow Nkurunziza to seek two more seven-year terms after his current one expires in 2020.

Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, reporting from Burundi’s capital Bujumbura, said the vote was well-organised and turnout was high in polling stations there.

However, many people didn’t understand the constitutional changes they were voting for, she said.

"Some voters told us it was their national duty to vote but weren’t entirely clear what exactly what they were voting for, what the political changes entail, and how that will affect their lives," said Soi.

The changes will be adopted if more than 50 percent of ballots cast choose "yes".

Earlier, Nkurunziza issued a presidential decree criminalising calls to abstain from voting, with a penalty of up to three years in jail.

CNN