Sudan’s Electoral Commission says it will not postpone its first multiparty election since 1986, despite assessments that the country is not ready for the April 11 vote.
Human Rights Watch Africa Director Georgette Gagnon said in a statement that state-sponsored human rights violations are such that “conditions in Sudan are not yet conducive for a free, fair, and credible election.”
Gagnon further said that “unless there’s a dramatic improvement in the situation it’s unlikely that the Sudanese people will be able to vote freely for leaders of their choice.”
The Carter Center, founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, will still be allowed to observe the elections. Incumbent President Omar al-Beshir was indicted by the International Criminal Court a year ago on charges of crimes against humanity for his role in the genocide in Darfur. Bashir has been in power since his military coup in 1989.
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