News
UN seeks to quell row over Sudan’s ballot printing contracts
March 24, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — The United Nations (UN) today responded to a complaint filed in mid-March by an opposition leader who expressed fury at the world’s body electoral officer in Sudan saying he was complicit in an improper switching an award to print the ballots from a Slovenian company to a local one belonging to the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).
The leader of the Umma Reform and Renewal Party (URRP) Mubarak Al-Fadil who wrote the letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said that this would lead to duplicate papers and ballot box stuffing.
“When we wrote to the National Election Commission complaining, the Commission wrote back to us in a letter dated March 10, 2010 justifying their action and confirming that these actions had been approved by the Chief of the Electoral Assistance Division of UNMIS, Mr. Ray Kennedy (All tender vetting and evaluation had been undertaken in participation of the UNMIS Electoral Assistance Division and that the National Election Commission had not received any complaint regarding the award of tenders)” Al-Fadil said in his letter
“This action supported by your staff member has left the door open for the duplication of ballot tickets and thus manipulating and forging the electoral process. Mr. Kennedy has shown ignorance and incompetence in comprehending the legal and political set up in which the elections are being conducted”.
UNMIS Chief Haile Menkerios wrote a response on behalf of Ban stressing that the UN was not involved in the decision taken by the NEC.
“I would like to clarify that elections in Sudan are nationally owned process and the United Nations’ (UN) mandate remains limited to technical assistance and support only. Accordingly, the decision to print the aforementioned ballot tickets locally was taken solely, as it should be, by the National Election Commission (NEC)” Menkerios said.
Menkerios said that the UN position on elections “has remained consistent and will continue to be so”.
“We believe these elections need to be free and fair and we will do all within our mandate to advise, encourage and assist that they be so”.
The UN official attached a letter dated February, 9 2010 from the NEC to United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Project Manager Elections Assistance notifying them of their decision to “separate the printing of the polling papers for Executive Elections to be printed inside Sudan”.
“From previous experience, Sudan Currency Printing Press which is well equipped with technical resources can do this work with the required time limit…So NEC would like to withdraw Lot(1) for Executive Elections from our previous request and meet the expenses of the printing of this lot from its own funds”.
April’s multi-party presidential and legislative elections are Sudan’s first such polls in 24 years. But accusations of fraud are already mounting and on Monday President Omer Hassan al-Bashir threatened to expel international electoral monitors if they call for postponing the elections.
This week it was revealed that the First Vice President Salva Kiir and the chairman of Sudan people Liberation Movement (SPLM) has rejected a request by Second Vice President Ali Osman Taha and NEC chairman Abel Alier to have the Northern army transport voting slips to the south.
The United Nations was due to transport the ballots by helicopter around the war-ravaged south but Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has delayed the pilots’ visas, a U.N. source and opposition party officials told Reuters.
“They [the NCP] are sabotaging the coming of the U.N. pilots. They want to control the whole election process,” said Yasir Arman, the SPLM candidate for the national presidency.
Arman said that Taha, had asked to allow the army to transport the ballots by air to and around the south, which has few roads.
“Salva declined to accept that and then Abel Alier [NEC chair] wrote a letter with the same request, which shows the coordination between the NEC and the NCP,” Arman added.
The U.N. source, who declined to be named, said the visa problem was eventually resolved but that the U.N. was aware of the NEC request to allow the northern army to transport the ballots. “It didn’t make any sense and we made that clear in our discussions,” the source added.
The NEC told Reuters its letter was a contingency plan but that the United Nations was now on track to transport the ballot papers to the south.
“There was a contingency plan that if we could not find someone to move to the south then we may have asked the military to help by availing helicopters,” deputy NEC head, told Reuters. “This is now not needed”.
The development adds to opposition skepticism on the impartiality of the elections commission.
Menkerios also responded to URRP leader criticism of Ray Kennedy, UNMIS Chief Electoral Affairs Officer. Al-Fadil said that Kennedy ” has been quoted consistently in the local press commenting on political issues, criticizing opposition parties’ demands. These demands include conditions needed to hold a free and fair election”.
“Mr. Kennedy affirms he was clearly misquoted as his role in the elections is purely that of a technical expert” Menkerios said.
(ST)
UN response to Al-Fadil complaint
NEC letter to UNDP
The leader of the Umma Reform and Renewal Party (URRP) Mubarak Al-Fadil who wrote the letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said that this would lead to duplicate papers and ballot box stuffing.
“When we wrote to the National Election Commission complaining, the Commission wrote back to us in a letter dated March 10, 2010 justifying their action and confirming that these actions had been approved by the Chief of the Electoral Assistance Division of UNMIS, Mr. Ray Kennedy (All tender vetting and evaluation had been undertaken in participation of the UNMIS Electoral Assistance Division and that the National Election Commission had not received any complaint regarding the award of tenders)” Al-Fadil said in his letter
“This action supported by your staff member has left the door open for the duplication of ballot tickets and thus manipulating and forging the electoral process. Mr. Kennedy has shown ignorance and incompetence in comprehending the legal and political set up in which the elections are being conducted”.
UNMIS Chief Haile Menkerios wrote a response on behalf of Ban stressing that the UN was not involved in the decision taken by the NEC.
“I would like to clarify that elections in Sudan are nationally owned process and the United Nations’ (UN) mandate remains limited to technical assistance and support only. Accordingly, the decision to print the aforementioned ballot tickets locally was taken solely, as it should be, by the National Election Commission (NEC)” Menkerios said.
Menkerios said that the UN position on elections “has remained consistent and will continue to be so”.
“We believe these elections need to be free and fair and we will do all within our mandate to advise, encourage and assist that they be so”.
The UN official attached a letter dated February, 9 2010 from the NEC to United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Project Manager Elections Assistance notifying them of their decision to “separate the printing of the polling papers for Executive Elections to be printed inside Sudan”.
“From previous experience, Sudan Currency Printing Press which is well equipped with technical resources can do this work with the required time limit…So NEC would like to withdraw Lot(1) for Executive Elections from our previous request and meet the expenses of the printing of this lot from its own funds”.
April’s multi-party presidential and legislative elections are Sudan’s first such polls in 24 years. But accusations of fraud are already mounting and on Monday President Omer Hassan al-Bashir threatened to expel international electoral monitors if they call for postponing the elections.
This week it was revealed that the First Vice President Salva Kiir and the chairman of Sudan people Liberation Movement (SPLM) has rejected a request by Second Vice President Ali Osman Taha and NEC chairman Abel Alier to have the Northern army transport voting slips to the south.
The United Nations was due to transport the ballots by helicopter around the war-ravaged south but Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has delayed the pilots’ visas, a U.N. source and opposition party officials told Reuters.
“They [the NCP] are sabotaging the coming of the U.N. pilots. They want to control the whole election process,” said Yasir Arman, the SPLM candidate for the national presidency.
Arman said that Taha, had asked to allow the army to transport the ballots by air to and around the south, which has few roads.
“Salva declined to accept that and then Abel Alier [NEC chair] wrote a letter with the same request, which shows the coordination between the NEC and the NCP,” Arman added.
The U.N. source, who declined to be named, said the visa problem was eventually resolved but that the U.N. was aware of the NEC request to allow the northern army to transport the ballots. “It didn’t make any sense and we made that clear in our discussions,” the source added.
The NEC told Reuters its letter was a contingency plan but that the United Nations was now on track to transport the ballot papers to the south.
“There was a contingency plan that if we could not find someone to move to the south then we may have asked the military to help by availing helicopters,” deputy NEC head, told Reuters. “This is now not needed”.
The development adds to opposition skepticism on the impartiality of the elections commission.
Menkerios also responded to URRP leader criticism of Ray Kennedy, UNMIS Chief Electoral Affairs Officer. Al-Fadil said that Kennedy ” has been quoted consistently in the local press commenting on political issues, criticizing opposition parties’ demands. These demands include conditions needed to hold a free and fair election”.
“Mr. Kennedy affirms he was clearly misquoted as his role in the elections is purely that of a technical expert” Menkerios said.
(ST)
UN response to Al-Fadil complaint
NEC letter to UNDP
Gatwech
UN seeks to quell row over Sudan’s ballot printing contracts
Dear readers,
The NEC under the chairmanship of the already bought off Jellaba’s Abel Alier will NEVER deliver impartiality. Abel Alier since a boy was always working in the interest of whoever in power in Khartoum.
He has proved his incompetency, lack of trust and credibility. Allowing NCP to print ballots and ask that NCP’s army (SAF) delivers them to the South are some of the things Abel Alier is historically good at doing.
Gatluak Latjor
UN seeks to quell row over Sudan’s ballot printing contracts
This is a small matter, the NCP is just complicating it. The UN pilots will not eat or change into ballots.
Achuil Manyuat Tong
UN seeks to quell row over Sudan’s ballot printing contracts
Abel Alier
This man has failed to show that he is able to do something where ever he is .
He was there in Adis ababa but failed to do something .
Now that his brothers have tried and let him hold that post ,he has shown again that he is incopetence .
Abiel Alier will never have any positive achievement which he will tell the southerners latter .
please do have any hope in him .
He is there for yes .
Not even a single no.
Kenyang
UN seeks to quell row over Sudan’s ballot printing contracts
Abel Alier has in hand blood of 2.5 millions Southerners who perished after his designed of 1972 Addis Ababa agreement failed. Four decades later, the arrogant is aching for more blood while claiming to be bridge btw North and South. The time is different and oldies/betrayers on look out for green pasture should be cautious…