Despite violence, technical difficulties, millions of Nigerians turn out to vote in presidential election

Millions of Nigerians arrived at polling stations across the country on Saturday, ready to cast their votes in a tight presidential election, The Associated Press reports.

The race between incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari is the first election since Nigeria's independence from Britain in 1960 that has even a chance of favoring an opposition candidate over a sitting president.

That may be in large part due to the continuing Boko Haram insurgency in the country; Buhari has criticized Jonathan for his failure to force the militants out of Nigeria. The election was originally scheduled to take place in February, but it was postponed due to security fears. Jonathan's opposition has suggested the move allowed the sitting president more time to garner support.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Iframe Code

View image | gettyimages.com

Saturday's election has not run perfectly, AP notes: Local officials have reported at least two car-bomb explosions; Boko Haram militants waving guns have turned some villagers away from polling sites; and some polling stations have reported technical difficulties with biometric voting cards, meant to discourage fraud at the polls.