Voting begins in Southern Sudan to decide on nation's future

Voting begins in Southern Sudan to decide on nation's future

2011-01-09 21:51:26 GMT+7 (ICT)

EL FASHER, SUDAN (BNO NEWS) -- Voting has begun in Southern Sudan where residents will decide during the coming week whether to stay part of Sudan or to emerge as the world's newest nation.

Southern Sudan Government President Salva Kiir Mayardit was among the first to vote when polls opened at 8 a.m. local time on Sunday. About 3.9 million people have registered to vote, which includes an estimated 23,000 people in the Darfur states.

Voters slept on the streets, outside polling stations, to be among the first to cast their ballot in what is expected to be a historic event. In a survey cited by Euronews, about 97 percent said they would vote in favor for their own state.

"We welcome the start of polling today for the Southern Sudan Referendum," a joint statement by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Støre, and United Kingdom Foreign Secretary William Hague said. "This represents a historic step towards completion of Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement."

The top officials recognized the 'significant progress' which has been made in recent weeks towards preparing for the referendum, including the successful completion of voter registration and other technical arrangements.

Voting for the referendum, which as of Sunday afternoon has been without major incidents, will continue until Saturday. However, final results won't be certified until February.

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