With most votes counted in Southern Sudan’s referendum, nearly 99 per cent of people have opted for independence from the north, officials say according to BBC online Friday.
The results were published on a website published by the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, and officials have confirmed they are genuine.
It says that 83 per cent of votes in the south have been counted, along with 100 per cent of those in the north and the eight foreign countries where polling was held. Just 1,4 per cent of people have voted for continued unity with the north.
More than 3 million ballots (stemmesedler) have been counted so far, with several hundred thousands still to come. Counting should be finished on 31 January and final results announced on 14 February, after any appeals had been dealt with.
If the result is confirmed, the new country is set to formally declare its independence on 9 July.
The mainly Arabic-speaking, Muslim north has fought the south, where most are Christian or follow traditio-nal religions, for most of Sudan’s post-independence history.
In order for the referendum to be valid, more than half of voters must back secession and at least 60 per cent of registered voters must take part.
Election officials have previously said that the 60 per cent threshold had been passed, BBC notes.
