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Sudan to introduce new voting system for 2020 elections

October 16, 2017 at 9:25 am

Sudan’s Interior Minister Hamid Mannan

Sudan’s interior ministry has revealed that voters in the country’s next general election scheduled for 2020 will participate using a national identification smart card, the daily newspaper Nilein reported.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Minister Hamid Mannan said that a new ID card would be issued with an electronic chip that would be difficult to replicate and would ultimately minimise voter fraud. Mannan explained that the new card does not replace the existing Sudanese national identity card but would be effective until the end of a designated transition period.

Mannan said the card contained 17 additional high security insurance features and was made of special chemical properties that would prevent its fraudulent use. He said the electronic card would be similar to those in use in other electronic networks and would contain the cardholder’s photograph and personal details on the chip.

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The new card came into effect yesterday.

Meanwhile, Sudan’s civil registry department of the Ministry of the Interior confirmed that more than 25 million Sudanese citizens have been electronically registered, making up approximately 83 per cent of the population.

Director of the Department, Major General Nasser Al-Kabbashi, also revealed at least three million new national identity cards had been issued recently and that new ID card offices in the three Khartoum area had been opened to cope with the issuance of more electronic cards.