EU election monitors say Sudanese vote failed to meet international standards
By APSaturday, April 17, 2010
EU monitors: Sudan vote fell short of standards
KHARTOUM, Sudan — The chief of the European Union’s vote monitoring team says Sudan’s elections failed to meet international standards.
Veronique de Keyser says names were missing from voter registries, election resources were not evenly spread to all parts of the country and there were cases of voter intimidation.
The five days of voting last week were the first multiparty presidential, parliamentary and local elections in 24 years.
They were a requirement of a 2005 peace deal that ended a 21-year civil war between the Sudan’s predominantly Arab and Muslim north and rebels in the Christian-animist south. The war left 2 million people dead.
De Keyser said Saturday the elections paved the way for democracy but shortcomings must be addressed.
