On April 11, Sudanese began voting in their country’s first multi-party elections in 24 years. Even though elections were boycotted by several popular opposition parties, they were still held amidst ongoing conflict in Darfur, reports of intimidation and threats of violence in South Sudan, and the government’s habitual restrictions on political rights and freedoms.
In a comment after polls had closed, the U.S. State Department spokesman stated, “This was not a free and fair election. It did not, broadly speaking, meet international standards.”
Originally due on April 22, the final election results have been delayed by Sudan’s National Elections Commission to accommodate logistical challenges.
View striking photographs from across Sudan during the elections. Learn more by reading assessments of the elections from The Carter Center, as well as from a coalition of civil society organizations that monitored the process.