KHARTOUM, April 3 (Saba) -- US envoy to Sudan Scott Gration said here Saturday that preparations for the Sudanese elections were completed despite the odds, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

He told the press after the high elections commission's meeting that the elections would be held at its scheduled time on April 11, hoping that the Sudanese people would partake in this democratic activity.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Ahmad Abdullah, deputy head of the committee, revealed that their meeting with Gration had focused on the preparations for the elections, adding that the official had reflect the views of involved political parties during the meeting. 

Gration arrived in Khartoum last Thursday to act as a mediator between the Sudanese government and the opposition. The opposition called for postponing the elections till November.

Some political parties tried to withdraw from the elections, a step which was met by refusal by the commission which indicated that the time for withdrawal was way over due.

The April 11th elections are the first elections of its kind since the last 24 years.


Saba