Nigeria reschedules all upcoming elections

Nigeria reschedules all upcoming elections

2011-04-04 01:27:13 GMT+7 (ICT)

ABUJA, NIGERIA (BNO NEWS) -- Nigeria's election commission announced on Sunday that all the elections have been postponed.

The National Assembly elections have been postponed for the second time in 48 hours. They were postponed for two days, and will now be held on April 9, Next online newspaper reported.

Nigerians will go to the polls on April 16 to choose a president, and on April 26 to elect state governors.

The announcement was made after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) met with political party leaders. Attahiru Jega, chairman of the INEC, said the dates were moved again in order to meet with all the outstanding issues.

Nigeria has a history of violent and deeply flawed elections. Observers from the European Union described the 2007 elections as among the worst they had witnessed anywhere in the world. At least 300 people were killed, and many others injured, in violence linked to the elections. Many of the results led to court challenges.

Federal and state elections in 2003 were also marred by fraud as well as serious incidents of violence that left at least 100 people dead and many others injured.

Between independence in 1960 and 1999, Nigeria produced only two elected governments - both were overthrown in military coups. Nigeria's military ruled the country for nearly 30 of its first 40 years of independence. However, in 1999, Nigeria made a transition to civilian rule. The 1999 elections, which brought a retired general, Olusegun Obasanjo, to power, were blighted by widespread fraud.

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