Nigeria polls: Thousands take to streets as tense vote count continues
Nigeria has continued counting ballots in a closely fought general election after failures in controversial new technology pushed voting into a second day, with President Goodluck Jonathan facing a stiff challenge from ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, Alajazeera reports.
Despite violence linked to Boko Haram and sporadic unrest elsewhere, UN chief Ban Ki-moon and others praised the conduct of the vote on Sunday and called for calm to avoid a repeat of deadly rioting that followed 2011 elections.
Voters who were unable to cast their ballot because of technical problems on Saturday returned to the polls on Sunday, as the main parties traded accusations over the use of the technology.
Thousands of people demonstrated in the Rivers state, as the head of electoral commission said he was concerned about allegations of irregularities there If Nigerians are unhappy with their leaders, can they vote them out in a peaceful, free and transparent way?
That's the test of Saturday's Presidential and parliamentary elections in Africa's largest democracy.
If they do vote out President Goodluck Jonathan, and the ruling People's Democratic Party which has ruled Nigeria for 16 years, since the end of military rule, it would be the first peaceful handover of power from one democrat to another in the country's history. In this case - to the key presidential opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.
More than $40m has been spent on these elections by the election commission. Close to 60 million people have collected voter cards to participate. And there are more than 120,000 polling stations around the country.
The winner in the presidential race needs 50% of the vote plus 1. And at least 25% of the vote in 2/3rds of the country's 36 states to win. And thousands of parliamentarian running for around 500 seats, a simple majority.
It's a colossal logistical challenge - in a country with porous borders and uneven infrastructure. But the voters we met at polling stations in Abuja were not put off.
People seem resolute in their determination to participate in this election, despite long hours waiting to be accredited, and even longer hours waiting to vote.
Jonathan, who became president in 2010 after succeeding Umaru Yaradua who died in office before completing his term, is contesting his second election. He comes from the predominantly Christian south while his challenger Buhari, who seized power in the 1980s, is from the mainly Muslim north.
Jonathan’s party has ruled Africa's most populous nation virtually unopposed for 16 years.
However, it is possible he could lose to Buhari, who has contested three previous elections but never come close to victory before.
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