20100418
inform

Sudan's first multi-party election in more than two decades is an example other African and Arab countries can follow despite some deficiencies, observers from the Arab League said on Sunday.

"The elections did not meet international standards but they are a big step forward compared to other countries in the region," head of mission Salah Halima told reporters in Khartoum.

"They were an achievement despite the deficiencies," he said. "There was no evidence of fraud, but there were deficiencies and mistakes. These mistakes however do not greatly affect the results."

The Arab League sent a mission of 50 observers to oversee Sudan's presidential, legislative and local polls, a five-day process which ended on Thursday.

The Carter Center headed by former US president Jimmy Carter, with 70 observers, and 130 observers from the European Union agreed that the vote failed to reach international standards but did pave the way for a democratic transformation in Africa's largest country.

"There is a consensus among international observers to say that what happened in Sudan is better than what has taken place in other African countries... We want Sudan to be an example for other African and Arab countries," Halima said.

"If the elections did not meet all the international standards, it does not minimise the experience of democratic transformation for Sudan.

"The Sudanese government has opened up space of democracy and we must make the most of it."

The elections are likely to see the re-election of President Omar al-Beshir, who came to power in a military coup in 1989, but they were marred by a boycott of the opposition and logistical problems.