Dakar— INEC will postpone the February 14 presidential
and legislative elections for six weeks to give a new
multinational force time to secure northeastern areas
under the sway of Boko Haram, an official close to the
commission told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Millions could be disenfranchised if the voting went
ahead while the Islamic extremists hold a large swath of
the northeast and commit mayhem that has driven 1.5
million people from their homes.
The official, who is knowledgeable of the discussions, said
the Independent National Electoral Commission will
announce the postponement later Saturday. He spoke on
condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the
issue.
A major offensive with warplanes and ground troops from
Chad and Nigeria already has forced the insurgents from a
dozen towns and villages in the past 10 days. Even greater
military strikes by more countries are planned.
African Union officials and representatives of countries
supporting the initiative were ending a three-day meeting
Saturday in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, to finalize
details of a 7,500-strong force from Nigeria and its
neighbors Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Niger. Details of
funding, with the Africans wanting the United Nations
and European Union to pay, may delay the mission.
Nigeria's home-grown extremist group has responded
with attacks on one town in Cameroon and two in Niger
this week. Officials said more than 100 civilians were
killed and 500 wounded in Cameroon. Niger said about
100 insurgents and one civilian died in attacks Friday.
Several security forces from both countries were killed.
International concern has increased along with the death
toll: Some 10,000 killed in the uprising in the past year
compared to 2,000 in the four previous years, according
to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations.
Officials in President Goodluck Jonathan's administration
have supported postponing the Feb. 14 vote.
Any delay is opposed by an opposition coalition fielding
former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari, though the
opposition stands to take most votes in the northeast.
Supporters of both sides are threatening violence if their
candidate does not win. Some 800 people were killed in
riots in the mainly Muslim north after Buhari, a Muslim,
lost 2011 elections to Jonathan, a Christian from the
south.
Analysts say the vote is too close to call, the most tightly
contested election since decades of military dictatorship
ended in 1999.
Jonathan's party has won every election since then but
the failure of the military to curb the 5-year Islamic
uprising, growing corruption and an economy hit by
halved oil prices have hurt the president of Africa's
biggest oil producer and most populous nation of about 170
million.
A postponement also will give electoral officials more time
to deliver some 30 million voter cards. The commission
had said the non-delivery of cards to nearly half of the
68.8 million registered voters was not a good reason to
delay the vote.
and legislative elections for six weeks to give a new
multinational force time to secure northeastern areas
under the sway of Boko Haram, an official close to the
commission told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Millions could be disenfranchised if the voting went
ahead while the Islamic extremists hold a large swath of
the northeast and commit mayhem that has driven 1.5
million people from their homes.
The official, who is knowledgeable of the discussions, said
the Independent National Electoral Commission will
announce the postponement later Saturday. He spoke on
condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the
issue.
A major offensive with warplanes and ground troops from
Chad and Nigeria already has forced the insurgents from a
dozen towns and villages in the past 10 days. Even greater
military strikes by more countries are planned.
African Union officials and representatives of countries
supporting the initiative were ending a three-day meeting
Saturday in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, to finalize
details of a 7,500-strong force from Nigeria and its
neighbors Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Niger. Details of
funding, with the Africans wanting the United Nations
and European Union to pay, may delay the mission.
Nigeria's home-grown extremist group has responded
with attacks on one town in Cameroon and two in Niger
this week. Officials said more than 100 civilians were
killed and 500 wounded in Cameroon. Niger said about
100 insurgents and one civilian died in attacks Friday.
Several security forces from both countries were killed.
International concern has increased along with the death
toll: Some 10,000 killed in the uprising in the past year
compared to 2,000 in the four previous years, according
to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations.
Officials in President Goodluck Jonathan's administration
have supported postponing the Feb. 14 vote.
Any delay is opposed by an opposition coalition fielding
former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari, though the
opposition stands to take most votes in the northeast.
Supporters of both sides are threatening violence if their
candidate does not win. Some 800 people were killed in
riots in the mainly Muslim north after Buhari, a Muslim,
lost 2011 elections to Jonathan, a Christian from the
south.
Analysts say the vote is too close to call, the most tightly
contested election since decades of military dictatorship
ended in 1999.
Jonathan's party has won every election since then but
the failure of the military to curb the 5-year Islamic
uprising, growing corruption and an economy hit by
halved oil prices have hurt the president of Africa's
biggest oil producer and most populous nation of about 170
million.
A postponement also will give electoral officials more time
to deliver some 30 million voter cards. The commission
had said the non-delivery of cards to nearly half of the
68.8 million registered voters was not a good reason to
delay the vote.
posted from Bloggeroid
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