A second day of voting starts shortly in Sudan presidential, parliamentary and state elections. Yesterday (Monday) passed peacefully with President Omar Al Bashir voting at a Christian school in the capital Khartoum accompanied by his two wives and a number of advisors, cabinet ministers and generals. The turnout so far is reportedly low across Sudan’s 18 provinces.
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With some political parties turning their back on the election, parliamentary candidate for the ruling National Congress Party Nafi Ali Nafi says the success of the election will best be guaged by the turnout.
Presidential advisor Ibrahim Ghandour voices government anger at the European Union assertion that an environment conducive to participatory and credible elections doesn’t exist in Sudan.
With Sudan eager to follow Iran and Cuba in from the cold, Ghandour says it’s very important what the world makes of these elections which go into a third and final day of internal voting tomorrow before moving to seven foreign centers for a further three days of polling.
He insists though that the most important view is that of the Sudanese people themselves.
Voting has been cancelled in two regions of Darfur and seven in South Kordofan because rebel activity makes it too dangerous.
Ghandour says the government will move from this election into the national dialogue it launched at the beginning of last year following deadly unrest in September 2013.