Khadija

Observing Sudan's elections

On the first day of the Sudanese elections, the streets of the capital Khartoum were calm and people were carrying on with business as usual.

Most Sudanese businesses were open and people were allowed to take some time off from work to vote.

The process was supposed to start from 0800am Mecca time. I arrived at a polling station in central Khartoum, where voting began more than an hour late.

But the delay did little to dim the fervour of several 60-year-old women, who were waiting eagerly for the voting process to start.

I asked some of them of how they felt. Khadija, 63, said that she was excited and this is her "right" as a Sudanese. I noticed that there were a lot of older women and soldiers who came early to cast their vote.

No young people