Still on stand-by

The first multiparty election in Sudan in 24 years is now over. It has been surprisingly calm, even though candidates have boycotted the election and there have been accusation of fraud. Because of logistical problems and the low turnout the elections were extended by two more days.

The vote counting started on Friday, and for every polling station that has finished its counting, they announce the result right away. On Tuesday the last results are expected, and the winner of the presidential election will be announced. According to the newspaper Sudan Vision, president Bashir is leading with "a comfortable 85%".
The way it looks now, there will not be any major problems related to the announcement of the results.

Even though Jimmy Carter and other observers have stated that the elections have not met international standards, I still think it is an accomplishment that the election days and the three first counting days have been with no major violence. 60% of the registered voters have casted their ballot, which is a surprisingly high number.

At the Red Crescent headquarter, the staff is still taking turns at sleeping at the office. They are still on stand-by until Friday afternoon. Even though Friday still is four days away, you can practically feel the relief of the staff and volunteers – many of them walking around with a blue left forefinger, the sign for having voted.