Sudan Extends Deadline for Election Nominations

Sudan's electoral body Thursday pushed back the deadline for applications to run in presidential and legislative polls in April, saying just two candidates have so far won approval to stand.

One of the applicants was President Omar al-Bashir, 71, who is seeking to extend his 25-year rule in the April 13 election that he is widely expected to win, with opposition parties saying they will boycott.

"We extended candidacy applications until next Thursday," January 22, National Electoral Commission member Al-Hadi Mohamed Ahmed told AFP, adding the change would not affect the date of the vote.

The original deadline of January 17 was pushed back "at the request of political parties participating in the elections," Ahmed said.

To date, just two candidates had applied for the presidency "who have completed all the measures and been authorized" to compete, Ahmed said.

Applications have to be approved by the electoral body.

One was Bashir, and the other is lawyer Fadl el-Sayed Shuayb, who is the head of the small Federal Truth party.

Most of Sudan's opposition parties say they intend to boycott the vote, calling for the formation of a transitional government until free and fair elections can be held.