U.S. and European media

April 6, 2023

Christian Science Monitor: President Omar al-Bashir presses Sudan election despite boycott. The main opposition party stuck to its announced boycott of the Sudan election over the weekend, but the ruling party of President Omar al-Bashir, the country's election commission, and even the US envoy to Sudan say that the upcoming election - the first in 24 years - must proceed.

AFP: US presses Sudan, leaves open election delay. The United States on Monday urged Sudan to immediately lift restrictions on political parties and indicated it would accept a short delay in landmark elections if it helped address concerns. "The United States is concerned by the troubling developments, including serious restrictions on political freedoms, which have led to the ongoing uncertainties" on the election, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said. "It is important for the government of Sudan immediately to lift restrictions on political parties and civil society," he told reporters.

AFP: Sudan says no election delay. Sudan insisted on Tuesday that presidential, parliamentary and local elections would go ahead as planned on April 11-13, despite a threat by several opposition groups to boycott the vote. There will be "no delay," Hadi Mohammed, head of the technical committee of the National Elections Commission, told reporters after talks with US special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration. "Preparations are finished," he said.

VOA: Analysts: Coming Elections in Sudan Perilous for the Country's Present, Future. As Sudan's opposition parties go back and forth over whether they will participate in next week's general elections [April 11-13], analysts in the United States say little good will come of the vote. Low voter registration in many parts of Darfur, which still is experiencing fighting despite a ceasefire, a flawed census that has led to only partial voter rolls, accusations of fraud and near total media control by the ruling National Congress Party are only some of the challenges ahead of next week's elections.

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