Sudan electoral commission approves 10 out of 13 presidential candidates
January 30, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese National Elections Committee (NEC) announced today that it has endorsed the applications of ten presidential candidates saying it satisfied the requirements set by the electoral law.
The official presidential runners include Omer Hassan Al-Bashir (National Congress Party); Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi (Umma Party); Hatem Al-Sir (Democratic Unionist Party); Yasir Arman (Sudan People Liberation Movement); Abdullah Deng Nhial (Popular Congress Party); Mohamed Ibrahim Nugud (Sudanese Communist Party); Mubarak Al-Fadil (Umma Reform and Renewal Party); Abdel-Aziz Khalid (Sudan Alliance Forces); Kamil Al-Tayib Idriss (Independent); Ahmed Goha (Independent).
However, the commission rejected three presidential candidates including a female saying they did not meet the statutorily requirements such as gathering a specific number of signatures in a certain number of states.
Munir Sheik Al-Deen (The New National Democratic Party); Fatima Abdel-Mahmood (The Socialist Democratic Union); Abdullah Aki Ibrahim (Independent) were disqualified.
The NEC board member Al-Hadi Mohamed Ahmed said that the three rejected nominees can challenge the decision with the Supreme Court within seven days.
The only female candidate, Fatima Abdel-Mahmood, said the ruling was a conspiracy against women and the party would appeal to the courts. “This is a form of discrimination,” she told Reuters.
Abdel-Mahmood’s deputy Abdullah Mahmoud said the NEC rejected them as they had not stamped their papers at state level, despite being told by the NEC leadership that the central office in Khartoum could do that when they handed their papers in a day ahead of the January 27 deadline.
“We even collected our signatures twice because the first time they said it had to be done on their papers,” he said. “When we handed in our papers again they said they were accepted. This is their error not ours.”
Independent candidate Abdallah Ali Ibrahim said he had expected to be rejected as he had collected 16,000 signatures from only 15 states, but had submitted his candidacy anyway to highlight the problems with the system.
“We have a percentage of illiteracy of 70 percent in this country but they ask for 15,000 signatures,” he told Reuters.
He said he doubted the elections would be free or fair “not just because the government is dictatorial but because the other dancer in this tango is a bad dancer.”
Opposition parties have slammed the NEC saying they have turned a blind eye to violations during the registration process such as allowing uniformed forces members to vote in their stations rather than at their residents.
In April 2010, Sudan is scheduled to hold its first democratic elections in 24 years. General elections are required by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or CPA, which ended the civil conflict between northern and southern Sudan that lasted two decades, killed 2 million people, and displaced 4 million more.
The NCP is hoping to legitimize its rule after coming to power through a coup in 1989 particularly in light of the arrest warrant hanging against Bashir which has restricted the latter’s foreign travels and meeting with world officials as well.
(ST)
Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
Sudan electoral commission approves 10 out of 13 presidential candidates
Breaking News
Some of my friends goods and properties where burnt to ash in Munuki Market on Friday, I have been spending the Satarday giving them some information and advice about further recovery from such disaster. It seem like the fire was set by unknown man at midnight, people escape with their pajames and leaving their good burning. However some people manage to rescue their goods and properties with help of good neighbours
SPLA has been isolted in the NEC list.
Aturjok
Sudan electoral commission approves 10 out of 13 presidential candidates
Yasser Arman is destined to win the election if it’s conducted fairly. The North will be split among the candidates and this will leave South, Nuba Mt. S. Blue Nile, and portion of E. and W. Sudan to go for Arman. The NCP knows this and that’s why they decided to support Kiir over their loyalist Lam Akol. They did this because the NCP was hoping that SPLM will withdraw their candidate from contesting the presidency.
silake comba
Sudan electoral commission approves 10 out of 13 presidential candidates
To the so called marginalized areas
Where are your candidates for the presidental post? Is it not out inferiority complex that no one from these so called marginalized areas dared saying I want to be a president of SUDAN? or the problem may be with the National Election Commission? I can rule out this probability because the Chairman of the NEC from the South, the spear head of the marginalized!!!
Dr. Fatima is a very famous Sudanese and with a history full of great deeds for the Sudan. She is with late President Nemeiri and their colleauges behind many great achievements in the history of Sudan. how can she fails to be qualified? Is it because she is a female? Where are they those Darfurians who are always crying and lamenting over marginalization? Do they think that they can achieve their aspirations through begging? or the chair of the presidency is too great and too sacred to be sit in by them?
Silake Ali Comba
El-fasher, Darfur
[email protected]