Sudan vote begins despite boycott

12/04/2010| IslamWeb

Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, has cast his ballot in an election that will decide whether he wins another term, despite few alternatives.

Voters began flocking to the polls shortly after they opened at 0500 GMT on Sunday, to cast their ballots for president, as well as parliamentary and local representatives.

The polls are to run over three days and close on Tuesday.

But the vote, Sudan's first multiparty election in 24 years, has been marred by opposition boycotts and allegations of fraud.

Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow, reporting from the capital, Khartoum, said logistical delays also interfered with the first few hours of voting in some areas outside Khartoum.

"We're hearing that there have been mix-ups of ballot boxes and ballot papers," he said.

"Also here in Khartoum, there have been some setbacks with some of the polling stations opening late because of delays [in the delivery] of ballot papers."

Opposition boycott

In addition to the delays, our correspondent said voter turn-out has been low partly because voters may be disillusioned and unsure of who to cast their ballots for.

"President Bashir's party is urging his supporters to come out in their numbers and vote for him," he said.

"On the other hand, the opposition supporters whose candidates have withdrawn from the elections have been telling us that they will drop blank ballot papers in the ballot boxes to show their anger with the whole electoral process."

Yasir Arman, a northern Muslim representing the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), and Sadiq al-Mahdi of the Umma Party, have both withdrawn from the race.

Credibility 'undermined'

While the result of the presidential poll holds little suspense, elections for parliamentary and local representatives are still fiercely competitive in many parts of the country.

The criticism comes as hopes dim that the elections will be a watershed moment as Sudan attempts to put decades of conflict behind it.

Southern Sudanese are also voting to elect a leader of the semi-autonomous government of the south.

But last-minute boycotts have revealed the fragility of the 2005 peace deal that ended the country's long North-South civil war.

The NCP has ruled Sudan in a coalition with the SPLM since the signing of the peace agreement.

Part of that deal was an agreement that Southern Sudan could hold a referendum on independence and many in the south see these elections as a step towards that goal.

PHOTO CAPTION

View of an empty polling station in Khartoum after it was closed early for technical and logistical reasons.

Al-Jazeera