KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) – Sudan extended voting another day in its presidential and legislative election Wednesday as campaigners went door to door to seek voters amid a low turnout that saw poll workers eating and praying to pass the time.
While state media trumpeted a “successful vote,” most centers appeared empty amid widespread apathy about a vote certain to extend President Omar al-Bashir’s 25-year rule despite an economic crisis and insurgencies roiling parts of Sudan. Al-Bashir also is the only sitting world leader wanted by the International Criminal Court on genocide charges, which are linked to the long-running conflict in Darfur.
Sudan’s opposition, weakened by a government crackdown, is boycotting the vote. They’ve called for the formation of a transitional government to oversee key constitutional amendments to ensure a fair and free vote.
“People are boycotting because this is a government that humiliated, terrorized, made us lose hope and stole our dreams. This is a government that led Sudan to a state of war,” activist Zahra Haidar told The Associated Press.
Haidar and a dozen opposition figures gathered at the house of a young activist named Sandra Kadouda, who disappeared this week after joining an anti-election campaign. Her family believes that she has been seized by security authorities, though authorities have denied arresting her.