Pro-election walkathon event kicks off in Juba

By Julius Uma

March 29, 2010 (JUBA) — Deng Foundation, a civil service organization in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports is organizing the first ever walkathon event in Juba, the South Sudan capital in support of the forthcoming general elections.

The event, earmarked for Saturday, April 03, is exclusively sponsored by White Bull in joint partnership with the Joint Donor Team, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Vision.

Daniel Deng, the foundation Chairman said the pro-election walkathon exercise is in line with its mission to entertain, educate and mobilize citizens to turnout in large numbers and peacefully participate in the April elections as well as the forthcoming referendum.

“We shall use dialogues, campaigns, concerts, and walkathons to deliver neutral civic and voter education messages,” Mr. Deng, the foundation Chairman told journalists.

Founded in 2002 in the United States, Deng Foundation, which is now registered and based in Juba previously participated in the voters’ registration; a process that was widely regarded as a success.

Already, plans are underway to establish various water points as well as entertainment stations along the various walkathon paths, among which include Customs, Parliament, Madiria, Mobil and Juba university roundabouts.

ABOUT THE ELECTIONS

Sudan is scheduled to hold general elections, its first in 25 years to be held in both north and south, from April 11 to 18. The elections are as a key milestone in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the accord that ended nearly three decades of a bloody civil war between the north and south of the country.

During this historic election, however, voters will cast ballots for the President of Sudan, the National Assembly, President of the government of Southern Sudan, Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, and governors and assemblies for the 25 states of Sudan (Southern Kordofan state, on the north-south border, will hold only national-level elections). In the north, voters will cast eight separate ballots, and in the south, voters will cast 12 separate ballots.

Hitherto, a total of 26 political parties, including the two ruling parties, the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM) have adopted the Sudan Electoral Code of Conduct prepared by the African Union High Level Panel on Sudan. This code commits the parties to common principles for free and fair elections.

Under the code, however, parties undertake to abide by electoral laws, promote a fair electoral contest, and to refrain from all forms of violence and obstruction of other contestants.

According to the electoral code, parties in government must also ensure that they do not use their access to official resources, including the state media, to obtain unfair electoral advantage for themselves or any other parties or to obstruct other parties. The code is designed to complement Sudan’s national electoral laws and the work of the Sudanese government National Election Commission (NEC).

(ST)