2010-04-19
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sudan's elections were marred by poor preparation and other suspected irregularities, the United States, Britain and Norway said on Monday, calling on Sudanese officials to take further steps to fully implement the country's 2005 peace accord.

"We note initial assessments of the electoral process from independent observers, including the judgment that the elections failed to meet international standards," the three countries, guarantors of the 2005 peace deal, said in a statement.

"We are reassured that voting passed reasonably peacefully, reportedly with significant participation, but share their serious concerns about weak logistical and technical preparations and reported irregularities in many parts of Sudan," the statement said.

Early results from the election -- Sudan's first in more than two decades -- suggest President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his party are heading for a strong win in presidential and parliamentary polls marred by boycotts and accusations of fraud.

Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes in Darfur, scored majorities of up to 90 percent in a sample of results from northern Sudan reported by state media.

European Union and Carter Center observers have said the elections did not meet international standards, but stopped short of echoing opposition charges of vote-rigging.

The polls, set up under a deal that ended two decades of north-south civil war, were supposed to help transform the troubled oil-producing nation into a democracy.

The three western countries noted the limited access of observer missions in Darfur and expressed regret that electoral officials did not do more to prevent and address such problems prior to voting.

"It is essential to build upon the progress made so far to expand democratic space in Sudan," the statement said, adding that Sudanese officials should "draw lessons" to ensure future polls and a referendum due next year on independence for South Sudan do not suffer from the same flaws.