Sudanese views on elections

Sudanese views on elections

The turnout in Sudan's elections does not seem to have changed even after voting was extended for two days.

Although local TV stations reported high turnout  on Thursday, local independent observers told me a different story.

Despite extended voting and an announcement that made Thursday a public holiday to encourage people to go and vote, turnout remained low.

I went to Souq al-Arabi in Khartoum, home to many Sudanese that come from the south and Darfur region to hear their views about the elections and how it feels to live in the north of Sudan.

Many work as street vendors and they live under harsh living conditions, but they find life here better than in their home towns.

Khamis Abdulrahman from Darfur doesn't feel like the elections have anything to do with him. He feels left out and unaffected by it.

'I've no rights'

"It has nothing to do with me, because I have no rights," he said.

Abdulrahman has lived in Khartoum for 20 years, but he still feels like a stranger in his own country.

"I feel like a foreigner," he said.

He doesn't feel comfortable at all, and he doesn't want to talk or take part in the elections because he says it will not change his situation.

Sulayman Adam Mohammed is another Darfurian who feels that the situation is not comfortable at all. His family still lives in Darfur.

"I feel like a slave," he said.

Mohammed says that he is waiting for the international community to wake up and do something about Darfur.

"I want Sudan to stay united, but I don't think that we will stay united. Some sudanese people think that they are better than us ... just because we come from the west," he says.

"I will not allow myself to vote for anyone, because there is no one that can lead us - all of them are the same. They don't have the ability to lead us. They can't solve our problems.

"We are living in bad times. I had to cut my education short and I now work in the market. I buy and sell goods in Khartoum to survive," he said.

However, Abdelfatah from Wou in the south of Sudan was very enthusiastic about the elections and he feels that everything is going "smoothly".

Al-Bashir praised

I noticed that he was wearing a badge with a picture of Omar al-Bashir, the incumbent Sudanese president. So I asked him if he had voted for al-Bashir and why?

"I voted for al-Bashir because he developed the country. He deserves Sudan and Sudan deserves him," he said.

When asked about next year's referendum, he said that this is up to the people to decide and he will stand by what the people want.

But for now he is happy with his life in the north.

Mostaseyon from the south also feels that the elections are going well so far.

But he did not vote. "Who would I give my vote to? There is no one that is worthy of my vote," he said.

"As a southerner I am here for a short period for economic reasons," he said.

Mostaseyon says he will return to the south soon, but he doesn't think Sudan will stay united.

James, from Juba, does not feel like he belongs in Khartoum. "Look at me. Do I look like someone that belongs here?" he said.

He went on to explain that when you don't have enough food, when you struggle all your life and you see that wealth is not distributed equally you lose hope.

"All I want is peace and fairness," he says. "If these elections can guarantee this to me then I welcome it but for now I will carry on with my daily struggle and ignore it altogether."