The National Elections Commission (NEC) announced the extension of the voting period in all states of Sudan to include Thursday, after the expiry of the originally scheduled three-day polling period. The period may be extended even further in in some states.
NEC Chairman Mukhtar Al-Asam announced on Wednesday that some states such as Gezira will have special treatment in which people vote on Thursday and Friday due to delay in arrival of electoral materials to some areas and that sorting out is to begin on next Saturday.
He said North Kutum constituency (14) will also have special treatment by extending polling to Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with ballot counting not starting until Sunday.
Meanwhile, voters from some centres in Gezira, Khartoum and Northern states told Radio Tamazuj that ink used to mark fingers washed off easily. The sources said the ink did not stay for long, which can result in a voter voting many times.
Jamal Abdulaziz, a candidate in Northern State, complained of many irregularities including the ink washing off voters’ fingers since polling started Monday. Some candidates in Gezira state have meanwhile announced their withdrawal from the election in protest.
Photo: A voter gets his finger marked with ink on the first day of voting in Sudan, 13 April 2015 (AP)