Sudan’s Upper Nile state grants employees time off for voter registration

November 9, 2009 (MALAKAL) – The Upper Nile State government on Monday issued an order granting all civil servants time off to take part in the voter registration drive amid concern over low turnout in the process.

The voter registration across the country started on November 1 through the end of the month to pave way for upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for April 2010.

Speaking to reporters outside his office at Malakal town, Thon Mum Kejok, the official spokesperson and minister of information and communications, said the decision to allow civil servants and constitutional post holders time off to vote, aims at encouraging higher turnout for voter registration.

Ministers and members of the state legislative Assembly are to go into their constituencies to abet voter registration teams in public awareness campaign, he said.

However, he said that this order excludes essential staff members such as medical personnel including nurses, midwives, police and other security personnel that fall under the category of civil servants. These groups will be registered in their designated centers, he said.

The minister also expressed concerns on logistics particularly in water zone areas of Nasir, Baliet and its terrain which is not accessible by aircrafts.

Southern Sudan is hit by very low voter registration turnout as the region prepares for its first post-war general elections due in six months.

Officials say some of the registration centers in the region have remained almost empty for the last one week while others with the maximum of less than a hundred voters to register per day.

Responding to the situation, the regional government’s cabinet on Friday resolved to request for 30 more days of the registration period to try to mobilize and register a good number of voters.

(ST)