Polling has begun in Nigeria in parliamentary elections marred by bloody attacks and chaotic delays

Polling had to be abandoned recently after election material failed to reach many areas. Security is tight following sporadic violence in the campaign. Several people were hurt in a recent blast at a polling station in the north-east. About 73.5 million are registered to vote, with President Goodluck Jonathan's PDP battling to maintain its majority. There are tight security controls across the country, with many towns and cities appearing deserted, borders closed and flights grounded. Voting - for 360 seats in the lower chamber, and 109 in the Senate - had already begun, and millions were queuing, when it was discovered that ballot papers were missing in some parts of the country, prompting delays due to the difficulty of replacing ballot papers. Various issues have resulted in three separate announcements of postponements, while the elections for president and state governors have also been set back. Despite the delays, many people see these polls as a chance for Nigeria to escape the troubled days of vote rigging and violence that have plagued previous elections held since the end of military rule in 1999. Politically the stakes are high with this being seen as a test of whether this government can hold a credible election. The presidential elections have been put back a week to 16 April 2011, with polls to choose the 36 powerful state governors now to be held on 26 April 2011. The campaigns have been marred by violence. A number of people were injured in an explosion at a polling booth in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, officials said. A bomb blast at the election commission's office in Suleja, 12 miles from the capital Abuja, killed at least six people. In the north-eastern state of Borno, gunmen shot dead four people at a police station where election officials were preparing voting materials.