Sudan’s Machar urges UN to conduct mock election before 2010
April 30, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Dr. Riek Machar, the Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) called on the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to conduct mock before the next year elections to identify possible problems that could occur.
Machar who is also the Deputy Chairman of SPLM held a meeting on the upcoming general election with the UNMIS officials at his office in the SPLM premises in Khartoum hours after his arrival in the Sudanese capital from Juba on Wednesday evening.
The meeting was dedicated to discuss practical ways to conduct the first free and fair election in the country since the Islamist coup d’état in 1989. The general election is scheduled to take place in February 2010.
“Time is running out” he said. There is no enough time between now and February next year. Much is needed to be done in Southern Sudan to prepare general public for election. Machar further added.
“The UN can even conduct a mock election to assess the problem before real election take place,” he suggested.
Marchar also stressed the need to conduct, as soon as possible, a campaign to raise the awareness of the public saying that such move is necessary to educate voters.
“Last time Southern Sudanese participated in a democratic election was in 1964, exactly 45 years ago. Sudan is a vast land with population scatter everywhere to reach them is a daunting task.” Machar said according to a statement issued by his office.
The SPLM did not choose its candidate for the upcoming presidential election. Some officials denied reports that Machar would be invested by the party for the supreme position. However, reluctance of the First Vice President of the Republic, Salva Kiir and SPLM Chairman to lead his party is the reason behind this delay.
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.
Before the UNMIS involvement in the upcoming election the two peace partners, the National Congress Party and the SPLM have to agree on border demarcation and the disputed census results. However Machar suggested that UNMIS can apply methods used in other countries such as East Timor and Afghanistan to settle census on a round table.
With regard to referendum law, GOSS Vice-President told the UN team his party presented a draft law for 2011 referendum to their partner, the NCP. He also disclosed that the northern Sudan ruling party wanted to discuss post referendum issues but they rejected such request.
“Post referendum was covered by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement” Machar told the NCP.
The Southern Sudan referendum, Abyei referendum, and popular consultations referendum all will take place in 20011 and the law of these referendums must be agreed long before that time arrives. Machar is scheduled to meet with the Second Vice-President NCP Taha sometime on Thursday.
(ST)