Sudan delays general elections to Feb 2010
April 2, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan electoral board decided to delay general elections for more than seven months, decision justified by the needed preparations and some achievement of some crucial outstanding issues.
According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended Sudan’s decades-long civil war between north and south in 2005, the Presidential, and parliamentary elections on national and state levels are due to be held before July 2009, announcing the end of a transitional period which began in July 2005.
The dominant National Congress Party (NCP) led by President Omer Al-Bashir, in different occasions, repeated its readiness to run the first general election in 24 years. The SPLM also expressed its willingness to run the elections.
However, last November, a UN consultative team of experts advised the semi-autonomous southern Sudan government to postpone the general elections to November 2009 till the end of rainy season in order to avoid the logistical complications.
Abdellah Ahmed Abdellah, deputy chairman of Sudan’s National Electoral Commission, said in press statements that the elections will be organized during next February 2010.
The Sudanese will elect a national president, and a president for the semi-autonomous government in southern Sudan, the federal parliament and south Sudan assembly. The elections also include the states assemblies and governors.
The announced delay was expected by the political parties because the results of the national census are not yet published and, some laws necessary to ensure free and democratic elections are not endorsed by the parliament. The press law is endorsed by the government but not yet voted by the parliament while the peace partners didn’t yet agree on the security law.
Violence in Darfur also impedes the run of free and fair elections.
The Southern Sudan Vice President Riek Machar welcomed the decision but expressed fears that this decision may delay the 2011 referendum on self determination for southern Sudan.
Also a senior official in the NCP, Ibrahim Gandur, welcomed the decision underscoring that the members of the independent elections body did not negotiate the timetable with the ruling party.
The last general election, in April 1986, was won by the Umma party of Sadiq Al-Mahdi, whose government was overthrown in a 1989 coup that brought Al-Bashir to power. In a presidential election boycotted by the opposition and held in December 2000 Bashir secured 86% of votes.
(ST)
postmortem
Sudan delays general elections to Feb 2008
What a blunder? When you negotiate don’t you think a bout the future? Were the two parties negotiating in a rush to just deep their souls in wealth and not even raising their heads to look into the sustainability of their future eating? What I mean is that wasn’t this foreseeable that it would be difficult to conduct elections during rainy season in the Sudan and a dry season included in the deal? The fighting for 22 years was all in the rains and we all know how difficult it was.
Dr. Riek Machar should not be crying foul of what may happen about the referendum. This is not what we expect of him as our Number two for now. He should be thinking of what to do with the referendum now not waiting for the elections next year and then begin to think about the referendum. Are we planning? We seem to be responding at a time when we really have the Six year Annual Workplan stipulated in the CPA. Why don’t we just follow that.
Do we have to wait for the referendum or we are supposed to be doing activities gearing to the success of the referendum. We have radios in Southern Sudan but no body informed from our government comes up to educate the masses about it.
Now that it has happened, what will we do as GoSS and citizens to prevent such happenings during the referendum. I feel that the CPA is been violated by the parties with respect to the elections.
When we were told the implementation modalities of the CPA were stipulated, we were happy but this seem to be the idea of Dr. Garang and nobody seem to be best at using the modalities to implement the CPA. We are not safe with these kinds of leaders. If the Vice President begins to worry in public, who are we to stop from dying?
Can you begin discussing and planning that the referendum should also be held in February, 2011? lest we have the same problems? With the economic melt down, our government is already vulnerable to manipulation and the North as usual will use its economic might to bribe all the corrupt from Southern Sudan to betray the South once again. Referndum is the ultimate goal we are really not much bothered on the outcome of the elections next year.
When we said visionary leaders are the likes of Grang, we mean leaders who can see now and a long distance into the future of Southern Sudan. We know the problems of the government some of which it is not to blame. But can we now go to economics and apply what we call opportunity cost in the demand curve? Let us go by priorities and only priorities which are gauged to secure us this land and the future of our children. We are prepared to go without food and water for the next two years if we will obtain the right to self determination.
South Sudan has been subjected into a test that requires sacrifice, determination once and for all. If we cross the river, we shall be at liberty to insult the crocodile in the water.
God come and rescue your people. To you I pray.
Lual Garang De Lual
Sudan delays general elections to Feb 2008
Congratulation the election commission for showing to the people of Sudan that you will be neutral and credible as shown by the way you postphone the election.
Bravo, keep it up but with time take care of influent and back pressure.
Mabor Adut Mayor Jong
Sudan delays general elections to Feb 2008
How did fake outdated politician of old sudan release such kind of decision ?. And seconded by bugos vice president of south sudan who claim to be good leader but under false pretention.
All the claims put forwards are not reasonable to convence me accept census report and what are the circumstances of delayance since 2008? and when the crises in Dafure end?. I wantede to assure all sudanes that the extention of election will also led to extention of referendum and violation of CPA of which the CPA is the second Bible in SOUTH and Coran in NOUTH.