Sudan may have to postpone its first multi-party elections in 24 years due to logistical delays, with hundreds of thousands of names missing from the voters' list weeks before voting, observers said on Thursday.

Carter Center officials issued a report saying Sudan's April presidential and legislative elections remained "at risk on multiple fronts" and urged Sudan to lift harsh restrictions on rallies and end fighting in Darfur ahead of the ballot.
 

Voting is due to start in Africa's largest country on 11 April in elections promised under a 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of north-south civil war.
 

Sudan is preparing for some of the most complex elections on record with at least six different votes using three different voting systems. The ballot, originally scheduled before July 2009, has already been delayed several times.
 

The Carter Center, a non-governmental organization founded by former US president Jimmy Carter that aims to further democracy and human rights, said preparations by Sudan's National Elections Commission were lagging.
 

"With a series of delays and changes in polling procedures, a minor delay in polling for operational purposes may be required," it said in a statement.
 

"The Carter Center is deeply concerned that the final voters' list is still not ready, with several hundred thousand names still omitted," it said, adding there were reports of discrepancies between registration booklets and the central electronic voter registry.
 

Elections commission member Mukhtar el Asam told Reuters he had not seen the report and would have to study its findings before commenting.
 

The US State Department noted "significant logistical and political challenges" with Sudan's election preparations, but cautioned against any delays.
 

"A delay in elections would likely delay the referendum for southern independence scheduled in January 2011, which is a recipe for renewed violent conflict," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

Curbs on broadcasts
The report said some political parties were facing curbs on election broadcasts and new regulations forcing them to give notice of meetings even inside their own premises.
 

"The overall electoral environment continues to suffer though from a legacy of years of repression," it stated.
 

"The ability of candidates and supporters to express their views freely is limited by existing laws that contravene Sudan's constitutional protections," it added, calling on the elections commission and Sudan's Interior Ministry to lift the requirement for parties to get permits for rallies.
 

The Carter Center said it was concerned at the "continuing high levels of violence" in parts of Sudan's western Darfur region, despite a recent cease-fire with one rebel group, and called for a truce to let Darfuris come out to vote.
 

The recent arrest of three youth activists from the Girifna campaign group in Khartoum was "an abuse of state power and sends a disheartening message to all civil society organizations working in support of elections awareness," said the report.
 

However, the campaign had so far been "mostly peaceful," with many preparations already completed and parties keen to take part, the Carter Center said.
 

However, it expressed concern about regulations that forced candidates to prerecord political broadcasts for approval by the elections commission, saying one message from Umma opposition party leader Sadeq al-Mahdi had been banned.

Insufficient polling stations
The report said a lower-than-expected number of polling stations across Sudan, would leave authorities struggling to process even a moderate turnout of voters, and the commission should consider extending the three day voting period.
 

Many opposition parties have called for the elections to be postponed, saying Sudan needs time to pass democratic reforms.
 

But the two main parties in Sudan's ruling coalition have resisted the call. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement, the main party in south Sudan, is particularly worried any substantial delay could threaten a January 2011 referendum on southern secession promised in the 2005 accord.
 

Source: Reuters