(Image Source: The Punch)

BY BRANDON TWICHELL

ANCHOR: JENNY MECKLES

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The people of Nigeria turned out to vote in parliamentary elections despite violence at polling stations. Some analysts say this latest election is the freest in Nigeria’s recent history.

But a BBC News correspondent reports violence is still a big issue in some parts of the country.

“In Maiduguri an explosion at a polling station...killed at least three people - including a female police officer guarding the ballot box - and the presiding electoral officer … In Lagos, some people complained of being unable to vote after not finding their names on the register.”

There are more than 73 million registered voters in Nigeria, and a reporter for Al-Jazeera explains the citizens feel they need to vote for a better life - despite the violence.

“Nigeria is actually the world’s sixth largest oil producer, exporting two million barrels a day. But 80% of people live below the poverty line. Unemployment is rife. Constant electricity and running water are scarce in most of the nation. Many blame the country’s political leadership for mismanagement.”

International observers point to this election as being the freest since the end of military rule in 1999. A West African professor tells Nigeria’s The Nation - the ruling People’s Democratic Party committed election fraud in the past.

“President Goodluck Jonathan’s repeated assurances of credible elections...is a welcome departure from the ‘do-or die’ stance of his ruling PDP in the past. This should contribute to a significant attenuation of the dangerously high political temperature.”

A writer for Nigeria’s newspaper The Punch says overall, this election demonstrated that Nigerians are ready to take control of their political destiny.

“Security agents deployed to the streets and polling centres appeared to be coming to terms with the ethos of democracy. They kept to the background and unlike in the past were not part of the problems of voters this time around.”

The AFP reports the ruling PDP will lose seats, but it’s unclear if the party will lose the majority. Presidential and state gubernatorial elections are planned for later this month.

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