Electoral board in Sudan announces rule on campaign spending limits

April 3, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — One week before the election scheduled on 11 April, the Sudan electoral board today issued a decision setting the limit on campaign spending by candidates across the country.

The measure is provided in the election law passed by the National Assembly in July 2008, but the National Election Commission (NEC) tasked with overseeing the elections process in accordance with the law has appeared to maintain silence on enforcing it.

The NEC distinguished in its decision released on Saturday between the candidate spending ceiling and that of the party. The electoral body stated that spending by party during the electoral campaign should not exceed 15 million Sudanese pound.

With regard to the candidates, the NEC said the maximum expenditure for a candidate for the Sudanese Presidency is 17 million pound, a candidate for Southern Sudan Government President should not spend more than 7 million pound, and spending by a candidate for a state governor should not bypass 800 thousands pound.

The spending of contenders competing for parliamentary seats is limited to 700,000 pound for the candidate in a geographical constituency, while the runners in the party list (proportional) or women list their expenditure is fixed at 50,000 pound.

The elections law of 2008 adopted a mixed electoral system. Some 270 legislators, 60% of the 450 MPs, will be chosen through the majority vote in their geographical constituencies. It also guarantees 25% of the parliamentary seats (112) to women and 15% of the MPs (68) to the party lists. Both will be elected through the proportional system.

The rule announced today come one day after the Umma Party led by Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi threatened to boycott the elections unless the government fulfils eight conditions which included determining a ceiling for campaign financing and spending.

The NEC has been heavily criticized by opposition parties and accused of bias in favor of the National Congress Party (NCP). A row has erupted last month over the NEC last minute decision to print the ballots for the executive posts internally after it was originally awarded to a Slovenian company, something which opposition say could lead to duplicate papers and ballot box stuffing,

(ST)