US welcomes adoption of Sudan elections law
July 8, 2008 (WASHINGTON) – The United States on Tuesday welcomed Sudan’s new election law, which paves the way for the first free ballot
since the Islamist coup d’Etat of 1989.
The National Elections Act of 2008 was approved by 350 votes and 14 opposed, while two legislators abstained. The total MPs who participated in the vote is 366.
“The United States welcomes the passage of the National Electoral Law by Sudan’s National Assembly. This is an important step in paving the way toward credible and peaceful nationwide elections in 2009,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement.
“We recognize the efforts of all sides to forge a consensus and welcome a similar spirit of partnership as elections preparations move forward in earnest,” McCormack said.
The United States called on Sudan to move forward with election preparations by quickly establishing a National Electoral Commission.
In addition, the State Department urged Sudan to allow access to domestic and international organizations that will help prepare for and observe the elections process.
“The government of Sudan should also put conditions in place including freedom of the media to ensure that political parties and civic groups are able to freely participate in the electoral process,” McCormack said.
Some Sudanese opposition parties, as the National Democratic Alliance, did not support the law, criticizing several components that they claim hurt their chances at winning seats in future elections.
Also Sudanese women demonstrated today against using a separate list of women candidates for the election of 25 percent of the 448 parliamentary seats allocated for women. They would have preferred to have the women on the main party lists.
“We are not as different as women we are different as political parties,” Mariam al-Mahdi, from the opposition Umma Party told Reuters.
Complete democratic transformation in Sudan would also require major legal reform elsewhere, such as media and national security legislation.
“The press and media law, the national security law and even the criminal laws much be changed,” said Yasir Arman, the deputy secretary general of the SPLM and member of parliament. “We cannot have free and fair elections without having new laws”.
More than 2 million people died and 4 million were displaced in Sudan’s north-south conflict, which is separate from continuing violence in the western Darfur region, where international experts believe more than 200,000 people have died 2.5 million been left homeless by five years of conflict.
(ST)