KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudan announced Wednesday it will hold elections for the president and parliament next year in April, despite opposition calls to postpone the contests.

Mokhtar al-Assam, the chairman of the national election commission, said the elections would be held April 2, with campaigning to start on Feb. 13.

He added that every political party would receive a list of eligible voters.

Sudan’s main opposition parties want the elections to be delayed, maintaining they need more time to raise funds and contact their supporters.

They also claim President Omar Bashir, who came to power in a 1989 coup, and his party monopolize power and restrict civil liberties, making fair elections impossible.

Instead, the opposition has suggested forming a transitional government ahead of elections to resolve a number of the internal conflicts wracking the country, including in the states of Darfur, South Kordofan and the Blue Nile. Bashir has rejected their proposals.

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