No agreement to delay Sudan’s national elections – SPLM

By James Gatdet Dak

September 13, 2008 (JUBA) – “There is no any agreement reached to delay the forthcoming Sudan national elections,” said the Deputy Chairperson of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Riek Machar, who co-chairs the Joint Political Executive Committee for implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the National Congress Party (NCP) and SPLM.

Machar responded to questions posed to him in a press conference on Saturday by journalists to confirm media reports quoting the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Luka Biong Deng, as stating that the elections could be delayed for at least six months from July 2009 to February 2010 due to expected heavy seasonal rains as well as logistical problems.

Machar agreed that the month of July may not be appropriate during which to hold the elections because of rainy seasons in the South and some other regions of the country.

He however explained that the parties have yet to consult on the issue, which he said may not necessarily lead to the delay of the elections beyond July 2009, but may lead to early conduct of the elections before July during the coming dry season.

NCP and SPLM signed a landmark agreement, the CPA, in 2005, that ended the two decades of war and provided for national elections during the mid-term of the interim period before the conduct of separate referenda due in 2011 in Southern Sudan and Abyei.

The people of Southern Sudan shall, according to the CPA, vote to either separate from the rest of Sudan or confirm the unity of Sudan, while the people of Abyei shall also vote to either join the South if it separates or remain with the North.

SPLM has declared its interest to contest for political seats at all levels of government including the post of the president of the Republic.

Sudan National parliament two months ago passed electoral laws, paving the way for the first comprehensive elections in the country.

(ST)