No fair elections in Sudan without reviewing key laws – SPLM

April 8, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan’s elections next year will not be fair if parliament fails to review key laws before the end of June, the deputy speaker of the national parliament said on Tuesday.

The SPLM Deputy Speaker of the National Assemby, Atem Garang, told Reuters that there would be no transparent and fair elections in the country, if the lawmakers fail to revise key laws on police, national security, media and the electoral law.

The two chambers resumed yesterday their parliamentary activities. Speaking to a joint session of the National Legislature the Sudanese president repatriated his commitment to implement all the signed peace agreements.

According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, presidential, parliamentary elections should be organised next year. Also the state assemblies and governors are concerned by these elections.

A 2005 peace deal ended war between Sudan’s northern government and southern rebels, but both sides accuse each other of foot dragging over revising the laws set out under the agreement.

“You cannot have transparent and fair elections unless you amend laws connecting to the political process,” said deputy speaker Atem Garang, from the former southern rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.

Garang told Reuters the laws had to be revised during the current parliamentary session, which began on Monday and ends at the end of June, to allow enough time for them to take effect before the elections in 2009.

Security service exercises extended powers with regard to the detention of political opponents, prevention of political meeting and public liberties generally. SPLM and the opposition parties often underline the unconstitutional character of these laws.

The official medias from Television, news agency and radios are always controlled by the dominant National Congress Party of Omer al-Bashir.

(ST)