Former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark, part of a team of observers, Nigeria is confident that the counting of votes will more run smoother than in previous elections--even though the right to vote-related deaths are reported in the most populous African countries.
Clark, observing a survey in the Nigerian capital Abuja, said Saturday that the count is still in its infancy. It is the first round in a crucial April election and voting begins at noon local time on Saturday in the country of 73.5 million voters.
"Any deaths, although of course, any violence, is something everyone wants to avoid, but it is a feature of the elections here," Clark told CBC News Network. "And it might well be to reveal less that it had been before.".
Clark is in the country as co-leader of a delegation from the National Democratic Institute. He said that the country had taken a number of measures to make voting less corrupt and violent than the previous elections - in particular, it happens more in the eyes of the public.
In his polling, Clark said voters were encouraged to stay at the scene.
"In part because they wanted to stay around people was because they felt that the observation of activities by the voters would stop anything seriously unfortunate happening," said.
Clark also said the people running that polls are less connected to political parties than in the past, and that people trust the independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria.
Former Prime Minister said he is encouraged by what he had seen so far, but noted that it had not yet been in contact with other observers across the country. Many of the States do step send international observers, because they are considered as too dangerous.
In the city of Maiduguri turbulent in the northeast of the country, witnesses said armed men shot and killed a local politician and set fire to a hotel.
Later, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency said at least person had died in an explosion which exploded near polling and several others were injured.
Twice delayed Saturday election was to choose the members of the National Assembly of the country. The election was to take place last Saturday, but national election Chairman Attahiru Jega stopped after the ballots and tally sheets disappeared in many places in polling stations in the country.
About 15 percent of the races still not be held as wrong ballots Saturday delayed their.
Persistence of problems such as the lists of the absence of names of voters on the registration and errors of printing on ballot angered many of those who expected online at polling stations across the country.
But, in some regions, there were positive reports.
"It is the best election I've seen in my life," said Abdulrahman Isa, a farmer in 71 years, in the North of the Nigerian state of Gombe.
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