20100416
alalam

Electoral officials in Sudan on Friday began counting votes cast during a five-day election.

The first multi-party elections since 1986 are supposed to usher in a new era of democracy in Sudan, which is recovering from a decades-long civil war between the north and south, as well as conflict in the western province of Darfur.

However, major opposition parties boycotted the presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections, and massive logistical problems prevented many people from voting.

Sudan's ruling party, in an apparent attempt to appease the opposition parties, said late Wednesday it would invite opposition parties into a coalition government.

The elections, which began Sunday, had to be extended by two days through Thursday due to problems with ballot deliveries and voter registration.

Results are due on Tuesday.

The candidates of the Umma party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) - the main party in the autonomous Southern Sudan - have pulled out of the presidential poll, although the SPLM contested elections in the south.

The opposition alleged that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) were planning to rig the poll and said they were worried about security in Darfur.

Despite the problems, the African Union and United Nations said there were no major problems and praised the generally peaceful nature of the vote.

Foreign election observers are due to release their reports on the credibility of the elections in the coming days.