Tuesday
Apr132010
Historic Sudan Election Extended
Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 3:17PM
The UN Spokesperson said the government of Sudan has extended the date to vote by two days in this historic election taking place throughout the country. The country is still under a fragile peace deal between the north and south and many members of civil society are skeptical of the outcome regardless of the extension.
The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has enforced strict security measures at polling stations. Hundreds of thousands of voters have cast their vote in these unprecedented multi-party elections in nearly 25 years.
The voting that was set to expire today will continue for two more days --until Thursday. Many voters in the south of the country are still complaining that they have been prevented from voting and exercising their "democratic rights". Complaints from all over the country have surfaced---poll stations opening late, not enough ballots, tampered ballots---and the list goes on.
The withdrawal of the presidential candidate from the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) has been a major drawback this week for opposition supporters. The SPLM was a central party to the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended more than two decades of civil war between north and south and helped set up this current election.
Many opposition groups continue to blame Washington for meddling in Sudanese politics and for trying to set up an "Iraq" inside Sudan.
The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has enforced strict security measures at polling stations. Hundreds of thousands of voters have cast their vote in these unprecedented multi-party elections in nearly 25 years.
The voting that was set to expire today will continue for two more days --until Thursday. Many voters in the south of the country are still complaining that they have been prevented from voting and exercising their "democratic rights". Complaints from all over the country have surfaced---poll stations opening late, not enough ballots, tampered ballots---and the list goes on.
The withdrawal of the presidential candidate from the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) has been a major drawback this week for opposition supporters. The SPLM was a central party to the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended more than two decades of civil war between north and south and helped set up this current election.
Many opposition groups continue to blame Washington for meddling in Sudanese politics and for trying to set up an "Iraq" inside Sudan.
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