The second day of Sudan’s first multiparty elections in 24 years on Sunday was chaotic with logistical challenges and allegations of fraud. The vote for the president, parliamentary, and state assembly was set to last three days.
After polls closed on Sunday, Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir, head of the National Congress Party was the predicted winner—mainly because opposition parties including the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, (SPLM) and the Umma Party, boycotted the election citing government fraud.
There are fears that violence could result from election tensions. The elections are the result a peace agreement that ended more than two decades of civil war between northern and southern Sudan, some southerners see these elections as merely a preface to an independence referendum, to be held next year, which will determine whether south Sudan will remain part of the country.
After polls closed on Sunday, Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir, head of the National Congress Party was the predicted winner—mainly because opposition parties including the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, (SPLM) and the Umma Party, boycotted the election citing government fraud.
There are fears that violence could result from election tensions. The elections are the result a peace agreement that ended more than two decades of civil war between northern and southern Sudan, some southerners see these elections as merely a preface to an independence referendum, to be held next year, which will determine whether south Sudan will remain part of the country.