Bashir heading to a comfortable win in Sudan elections

April 10, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Millions of Sudanese voters all around the world have headed to the polls to pick a new president, members of parliaments and governors in the first multi-party elections since 1986 amid boycott by several heavyweight political parties which accused the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) of setting the stage for a sweeping win through fraud and utilizing the state resources.

The vote is part of the U.S.-brokered 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended a 21-year war between north and south Sudan. For many voters in Southern Sudan, the election is less important than a referendum the region is scheduled to hold in January to decide whether to become an independent nation.

Many have questioned the sum of money spent by the NCP on the campaign which was visible in the streets with posters and huge billboards erected showing pictures of Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir who is running for re-election on the NCP ticket and hoping to legitimize his rule, with an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) hanging over his head.

Last week, the National Elections Commission (NEC) which is managing the highly complex process issued a rule setting the limit on campaign spending by candidates across the country. Observers have said that this step would have constrained the NCP’s ability to campaign effectively if made early. Some opposition figures saw this as further evidence on the bias of the election board.

The NEC has been target of heavy criticism by opposition who went as far as calling for disbanding or establishing another body to monitor its work. The chairman of the NEC Abel Alier, a widely respected figure in the country, has disappointed some opposition parties with some alleging that he has been manipulated by his “pro-NCP aides”.

“The commission must revise its position and brother Abel Alier has special endearment and respect but he must carefully review the work of the commission” the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani said earlier this month.

In one example it was revealed that Mukhtar Al-Asam, one of the NEC members was the registered owner of a center for civic and voter education which was hired by the commission and also that some of his relatives were employed by the NEC. Both claims were acknowledged by Al-Asam.

Another row erupted when the NEC made a last minute decision to print the ballots for the executive posts in a government owned print house after it was originally awarded to a Slovenian company, something which opposition say could lead to duplicate papers and ballot box stuffing.

Electoral officials said there is no room for fraud as every ballot will be stamped by the commission but the Umma Reform and Renewal Party (URRP) chief Mubarak Al-Fadil responded sarcastically saying “you defrauded the voting slips so what stops you from doing the same with stamps?”.

But NCP and government official brushed aside all the opposition criticism saying that the latter was involved in every step of the election process from drafting the electoral law to picking members of the NCP.

International rights organizations have criticized what they described as political repression by the authorities that undermined the elections credibility.

“Violations of human rights – particularly restrictions on freedom of assembly and freedom of the press – are threatening prospects for a free, fair and credible vote across Sudan,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“Sudanese authorities are clearly failing to uphold international standards,” said Gagnon, one of a broad group of international activists who warned of renewed violence.

Many analysts have said that the handling of the election by opposition has been “immature” which was exacerbated by hesitance and divisions in these parties which were weakened throughout the years since the 1989 coup which brought Bashir to power. Political parties were banned immediately after the military took over that year forcing the opposition outside the country.

Moreover, the limited financial resources at the disposal of the opposition has left them unable to keep up with the NCP.

Sudanese voters opposed to the ruling party have been heavily disappointed after high hopes that opposition parties would unite at the elections especially in light of agreeing to sit together in Juba last year under the auspices of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SPLM) and form a loose alliance which was viewed as a front against the NCP.

The abrupt withdrawal of SPLM presidential candidate Yasir Arman from the race generated huge disbelief among his supporters particularly in light of his status as the main challenger to president Bashir and expectations that he would gain the majority of votes in the south.

Furthermore, contradicting statements of SPLM leaders on their boycott of North Sudan elections indicated deep divisions within the party and killed much of the momentum that was building in the month leading to the elections day.

The Umma party, which is the largest opposition party in North Sudan, also boycotted elections in the entire county with limited exceptions dealing yet another blow to the elections. The Sudan Communist Party (SCP) and the Umma Reform and Renewal Party (URRP) also announced a total boycott.

However, the DUP and the Popular Congress Party, led by Hassan al-Turabi, who helped Bashir seize power in a 1989 coup remained in the race.

Arman accused Bashir of seeking the elections to shield himself from ICC prosecution though the Umma party leader Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi said that the Sudanese president would not be able to evade international justice.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said on Thursday he was disappointed by the boycotts. “I regret that some of the parties have decided not to participate,” he told reporters after he arrived in Khartoum to observe the voting.

“We know there is no perfect election in the world, this is not an exception,” said Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, vice chairman of the national electoral commission.

Carter said on Friday that he expected polling to proceed without major hurdles, although some delays could be expected in more remote areas.

“We see no reasons for any concern except on a few isolated stations way out,” said the former US leader.

Voting materials “may get there a bit late, but they will have three days at least in which to vote,” he told reporters in the capital.

Yesterday Sudanese opposition criticized international election observers saying they have concealed irregularities out of fear that the authorities would expel them.

On Thursday, Bashir promised an “exemplary” election but Western governments have expressed mounting concern about the credibility of the vote, particularly in Darfur.

“I note with concern reports of irregularities in the process to date, limitations on political freedom, and insecurity, which is particularly acute in the Darfur region,” Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said on Friday.

On Thursday, US envoy to the United Nations Susan Rice warned that “disturbing” trends could mar the outcome of the vote.

She said a decision by the European Union to withdraw observers from Darfur underscored “how insecure and problematic the electoral process is in that portion of the country and elsewhere.”

More than 100,000 police officers will be on duty over the election period, a security official said, as embassies in Khartoum advised their nationals to adopt “precautionary measures” such as stocking up on food and fuel.

(ST)