Sudan’s national elections: A crisis of credibility

By Dalia Haj-Omar

August 3, 2009 — Sudan is at a crossroad and months from implementing a major milestone in its Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)—the country’s first national election in 24 years. The CPA helped bring an end to one of Africa’s longest civil wars. Yet with a highly restrictive political environment, partial state institutions, heightened security apparatus by the State and complete control over state-owned and the independent media there is no indication of a level-playing-field that allows all actors free access to the political arena. With time ticking towards the April 2010 election dateline, unless there is will from the ruling party to open up the political space to all key participants, the election will suffer a severe lack of credibility even before it takes place.

Contradicting NCP statements

Official election-related statements by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) have been contradictory and have zigzagged between assurances that the elections will be fair and transparent to anti-Western rhetoric that appeals to the sentiments of citizens against “foreign intervention” (which translates to foreign funding) in the elections.

In a recent appearance in Cairo Sudanese President, Omer Hassan Al-Bashir delivered a speech to supporters of the NCP where he said the following in reference to Sudan’s national elections expected in April of 2010:

“We do not want to stay twenty-five years on top of the people but looking at the future and seeking a peaceful and genuine transfer of power…any party, with or against us, wishing to monitor the elections are more than welcome but on the condition that they respect our values, traditions and beliefs else we will expel them” (Sudan Tribune, July 19, 2009).

These words delivered on the international stage—although they have the usual hint of a warning to the international community—are in stark contradiction to the NCP’s statements at home that have appeared periodically in the state-owned media in the last two months. The statement also does not reflect the restricted level of freedom experienced on the ground impacting all actors in Sudan who are anxious to participate in the pre-election period.

On the other hand and in reference to donor support intended to build the capacity of political parties, a statement in the Al Ahdath newspaper by Presidential Advisor Nafi Ali Nafi reprimands opposition political parties, claiming that they are using “sinful money to change the identity of the country” (Al Ahdath, July 8, p.16).

In an interview granted to Sudan TV on June 27, 2009, commemorating the NCP’s 20th year in Power, President Al Bashir expressed his confidence that the elections will be conducted, “in all parts of Darfur” and attested to their high level of complexity due the multiplicity of seats citizens have to vote for. “Political Parties have a great role to play in voter education, and they are able to do that” said Al Bashir. He added that some foreigners have expressed their intention of changing the regime through elections and that the NCP, “wants to renew the trust” and “will go with the choice of the people”.

Al Ra’id newspaper ran an article entitled, “Foreign Financing and Administration of the Sudanese Election”. Authored by NCP demagogue Mahmood Al Karnaki the article gives a laundry list of all foreign assistance to election administration under various funding mechanisms and donors with estimate budgets. The United States is highlighted as giving, “the lion’s share” under its “war against terror” programming. Norwegian Church Aid is noted to be working in the South on media under the European Union’s support and to have had “contributed to elongating the civil war” in the South by giving large support to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army during the war. The author concludes by saying, “All of this constitutes the first chapters of foreign intervention in the Sudanese Elections…Without transparency the foreigner is aiming to fundamentally influence the outcome of the elections…Without transparency the foreigner is aiming to use his finances, wide experience and tricky political maneuvers to confiscate the right of the nation in its choice for true democracy” (Al Ra’id, June 6, 2009).

Through its national press statements the NCP is trying to appeal to the sentiments of Sudanese people by using the usual tactic of depicting Western or “foreign” intervention as a sign that the country is under attack and that they are the party best suited to protecting the country’s sovereignty.

Neutrality of vital state institutions under question

So far Sudan does not look like a country preparing for its first national elections in 24 years. State institutions that will have a vital role before, during and after the election such as, the police, judiciary, the media and the National Electoral Commission (NEC) are not neutral. This is likely to be a lead cause of election-related violence in the coming months.

Newspapers continue to be heavily censored and there is a complete absence of public campaigning by political parties. The NCP continues to maintain absolute control over state-owned and independent media. There is no non-partisan, wide-reaching national voter education campaign on TV, radio or the printed press and competing political parties have no access to these media outlets.

Although the appointment of NEC members was initially welcomed by all political parties and civil society groups, in recent weeks NEC’s impartiality has come under question. A press release on June 18, 2009 from one of Northern Sudan’s two voter education civil society networks dubbed, TAMAM1 addressed NEC with a list of concerns and recommendations that included: the political affiliation with the ruling party of some electoral commissioners appointed to the regions; the limited representation of women within those appointees (standing at 5.5 percent) and the lack of special procedures to accommodate sizable minorities such as, nomadic tribes (who make up 33 percent of the population) and students.

TAMAM expressed that NEC welcomed open communication channels and has responded to some of their concerns. However, NEC has also pointed out that some of those concerns are outside its mandates and are an outcome of imperfections within the election bill, which for example does not give special attention to nomadic tribes and students.

Clam down on civil society and donors

Independent civil society groups (in all of the country except the South) are struggling to conduct voter education and election monitoring trainings due to a clampdown by the state and to restrictions on donors, which have led to limited disbursement of funds ear-marked for election support.

Civil society groups working on voter education say their work is monitored and restricted. They are expected to report and get approval on all activities from the Humanitarian Affairs Commission (HAC) before implementation. In North Sudan, there have been incidents where voter education activities where stopped by HAC or security officials.

The complexity of Sudan’s new electoral system and its high illiteracy rates make voter education an urgent matter. A common statement heard from those in civil society and other political parities, is that the NCP’s tactic is to, “bank on the ignorance of the people”. Many acknowledge that the main problem with the election will be the invalid ballot forms that are filled incorrectly. This puts the NCP in advantage, given that it has been targeting its constituency as early as 2006.

In a recent and more concerning turn of events TAMAM received an official letter from the German Development Service (DED), which had initially expressed interest in supporting their work saying that they are withholding support because, “Civic education is a highly sensitive topic, and the political situation is not supportive to intense engagement”. The letter continued to explain that the donor is afraid that such support will endanger it institutionally and could put its international staff “under suspicion” since they are obliged to follow the reporting requirements of HAC (Letter to TAMAM, July 7, 2009).

Although Sudan’s forthcoming election is not the magic pill that will cure all the country’s ailments, an opening up of the political space and an election conducted in a transparent and just manner is likely to shift the country away from election-related violence and toward a peaceful transition to democracy and an enhanced confidence by voters and political candidates in the democratic process and in the value of citizenship and civic rights.

* The author is a Sudanese rights activist living in France.