Khartoum: Former US President Jimmy Carter expressed "regret" that some opposition parties have pulled out of Sudan's first multiparty elections in 24 years and said he hoped the vote would be a success.
Carter, speaking to reporters upon his arrival today in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, said, "many of the parties are participating. So we look forward to a successful election as well as we can under the circumstances."
Monitoring process
The Atlanta-based Carter Center, which the former president set up with his wife Rosalynn, has been monitoring the electoral process in Sudan.
The elections for president, parliament and state governors' seats have been marred by the withdrawal of the major opposition parties, which alleged government fraud and restrictions on free speech.
"I regret that some of the parties decided not to participate," Carter said. "We are hoping and praying it will be a fair and honest election... "
