Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Sudan Electoral Official Indicates Final Results to be Announced Monday

   Peter Clottey 25 April 2010

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

   A  Sudanese  woman  casts  her  vote  as representatives of candidates
   observe  at  a  polling station during the second day of Sudan's first
   multiparty  elections in decades in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 12,
   2010.  Sudanese  voted  in the impoverished country's first multiparty
   elections in a quarter century, which will determine whether President
   Omar  al-Bashir wins another term despite his indictment on charges of
   war crimes in Darfur. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

   A  top  official  of  Sudanâs National Electoral Commission says after
   âunanticipated  delaysâ,  the  electoral  body will announce the final
   results of the presidential election Monday.

   Media  advisor,  Abu  Bakr  Waziri  said  the  electoral commission is
   pleased  with  the  success  of  organizing  Sudanâs  first democratic
   elections in 24 years.

   âSunday  at  3  oâclock,  they  announced  in  the evening most of the
   (results)  of  the government in the south (with) only five remaining,
   and  we  are  expecting  them  this  evening.  Tomorrow  (Monday) by 3
   oâclock,  we  are  hoping  to announce the final presidential election
   results in Sudan,â he said.

   Waziri  said  Sudanâs  National Electoral Commission (NEC) was able to
   organize a free fair and impartial election despite criticism that the
   vote failed to meet international standards.

   In  their  preliminary  reports, poll observers from the United States
   based  Carter Center as well as the European Union stated that Sudanâs
   general elections failed to meet international standards.

   But  NEC  said  the  assessment was fair, especially when the vote was
   Sudanâs first in 24 years after decades of civil war.

   Waziri said despite the criticisms, the election was peaceful.

   âTill  this  afternoon,  we  havenât  witnessed  any kind of violence,
   public  disorder  or  any kind of incitement to violence. The response
   for  the  participation  of  the voters was very high. It was about 85
   percent  out  of  those  who  were  registered  --  16 million. So the
   response is great,â Waziri said.

   He  also said that the electoral commission was able to educate voters
   about what he called a âcomplicatedâ voting process ahead of the vote,
   adding that the election went well.

   There  were  reports  however  that the electoral commission abandoned
   entering  the  election data into a safeguarded computer system, which
   could have justified the credibility of the vote.

   But Waziri dismissed the reports as unfounded.

   âIt is actually a wrong news item published by a Reuters correspondent
   from  Khartoum.  We  are  using electronic tabulation (and) we did not
   give  orders  to  anybody to stop that and to go to the manual one. We
   corrected  this  and  we  are about to call the Reuters man here⦠the
   news  item  was very harmful (to the election). We are still using the
   electronic tabulation,â Waziri said.

   Preliminary results show incumbent president Omar Hassan al-Bashir and
   his National Congress Party will win the vote.

   But   opposition  groups,  including  the  Sudan  Peopleâs  Liberation
   Movement  (SPLM)  and  the  UMMA  party,  boycotted  the  presidential
   election, claiming widespread irregularities.

   Waziri maintains that the election was successful.

   âAfter  24  years  of no-election in Sudan, it was successful, and the
   participation was good. And it attracted the attention of the (entire)
   world.  And  many of the media were here to cover this process. It was
   successful,â Waziri said.

.