Sudan's electoral body pushes back elections to 13 April

December 21, 2014-Khartoum-SudaneseOnline-Sudan's National Elections Commission (NEC) announced on Saturday that the general elections will be pushed back to 13 April, calling on the political parties and independent candidates wishing for the presidential and parliamentary polls to present their papers as of January 11.
The NEC chairman, Mukhtar Al-Asam, told reporters on Saturday that his commission will receive the bids of parliamentary and presidential hopefuls between January 11 and 19
"A qualified presidential hopeful needs to meet the specified requirements foremost among which is winning the support of 15,000 registered voters from 12 of the country's 18 states, provided that the grassroots in any of these states are no less than 200 voters," he said.
"A presidential hopeful needs also to deposit 10,000 Sudanese pounds (some USD 1,200) as bank guarantee which will be repaid if they win at least 10 percent of votes or if the candidate withdraws candidacy 45 days ahead of the polls," Al-Asam added.
According to official data, the number eligible voters in the 2010 elections were 19.8 million people and approximately 50% of them cast their votes. These statistics South Sudan which became an independent state since July 2011
Opposition parties accuse Al-Bashir of continuing to jail dissidents, censoring the media and closing newspapers, making a mockery of his stated commitment to a national dialogue.
The opposition also boycotted the last presidential election in April 2010, citing fraud. Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on April 2.
The Islamist president has been working to shore up his power in the face of an economic crisis since South Sudan declared independence in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of the country's pre-secession oil output.