More than 5,000 Sudanese voters in Egypt head to poll Sunday

Cairo (Earth Times) - More than 5,000 Sudanese voters in Egypt will head to polls Sunday to cast their votes in the presidential election, a source at the Sudanese Embassy in Cairo said Saturday.

The official said that 5,377 Sudanese people were expected to cast their votes at four polling stations, in Cairo and the coastal city of Alexandria.

The electoral process in Egypt was being observed by representatives of the electoral commission as well as Egyptian civil society organizations, the official said.

The United Nations had said the Khartoum government was not ready to hold the nationwide April 11-13 balloting for a new president, the first since 1986, because it failed to educate the voters, ensure security and equip voting stations.

"Opposition activists have been prevented from carrying out peaceful activities, arrested and tortured. It is clear that elections carried out in this context will be severely compromised." said Osman Hummaida, executive director of the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies.

Several opposition parties, including The Umma party, one of Sudan's main opposition parties, announced they will boycott the elections, citing fears of rigging.