Sudan will use the electronic voting system for the first time in its electoral history in next April’s elections, the country’s poll commission announced late on Wednesday. The chairman of the National Election Commission (NEC) Dr. Mukhtar Alasam confirmed in a press conference in Khartoum that the electronic voting system will be operated in the cities and urban centres around the country. Last month Namibia became the first country in Africa to hold e-poll, using an electronic device to verify the data of potential voters on an e-voters’ roll. Once potential voters were cleared to vote, they proceeded to a booth and pressed a button on another electronic machine displaying the colours and insignias of the parties taking part in the elections.
According to NEC boss Alasam, $100 million has been set aside for the Sudanese presidential and national assembly elections and that 95 regional and international bodies have expressed interest in monitoring the exercise.
“The telecommunication companies will support in this regard and that will also help in bringing down the running cost of the election process” Mr. Alasam explained.
Sudan’s president for the past 25 years, Omar al-Bashir has declared he will be running for a fresh term, sparking opposition from his political opponents who called on him to step down.
Source: Sudan to use electronic voting system – politics – News – StarAfrica.com.