Sudan urges international support to general election

June 9, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan urged today the international community to contribute to the success of the electoral process in the country that is expected to begin next Febrary.

Abel Alier President of the National Elections Commission (NEC) said on Tuesday that the cost of the next year election is estimated at about 1.1 billion dollars.

During a briefing to ambassadors and representatives of regional and international organizations, today the head of the NEC urged foreign governments and organizations to contribute to the success of the electoral process.

Abel spoke about the NEC efforts to hold the elections, stressing the importance of the next phase in the history of Sudan. He also underlined the need for concerted regional and international efforts in addition to national efforts to achieve democratic transformation.

The Sudanese official further said that the electoral body exercises its duties based on three basic sources that are: the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the Interim Constitution, and the law of elections.

He reviewed NEC’s role in enlightening public opinion and prepare for the electoral process through the states committees.

He talked about the process of regional and international supervision of elections in all stages until the announcement of the results.

Last April 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.

On May 28, the NEC committed to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project document on support to elections and democratic processes.

The UN project contains an initial budget of US$68.7 million to cover support to NEC, the Political Parties Affairs Council, civic and voter education, domestic observation, media training and monitoring and vital stakeholders such as women and youth.

(ST)