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Voter turnout low

Turnout among Nigeria’s 45 million voters was low but orderly, news reports said. Voting failed to take place in two senatorial districts and five federal constituencies in the troubled Delta State, Nigerian radio said yesterday. It said INEC postponed voting because of the “fragile security situation”. The Delta, which produces almost all of Nigeria’s crude oil, has over the past year been the scene of unrest and kidnappings because of its continued state of under-development and environmental pollution. Political analysts told IRIN today the poor turnout was due to a number of factors: Voters were badly informed of the candidates standing for the Assembly, they were burnt out by two previous elections which began in December 1998, and were simply too focused on the presidential polls due this weekend.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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