SPLM’s Arman quits Sudan’s presidential race

March 31, 2010 (KHRTOUM) — The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) said on Wednesday it was withdrawing its candidate for the Sudanese presidency, Yasir Arman, due to the Darfur situation and election irregularities.

Selected in January to compete against Omer Al-Bashir, Arman was seen as the sole challenger that who might put in difficulty the incumbent president in this first multiparty election since 1986.

“The SPLM will withdraw its candidate Arman from the presidential elections and it will enter general elections in 11 northern states but boycott them in the three states of the western Sudan region of Darfur,” said Riak Machar, the SPLM deputy chairman on Wednesday.

Machar announced the boycott of presidential election in a press conference held in Juba after a meeting of the SPLM Political Bureau where the party debated on its participation in the general election. He and several leading members including Yasir Arman and pagan Amum held a series of meetings with the opposition forces in Khartoum.

Machar said the decision has been taken in response to a request from SPLM sections in Darfur who protested the participation of the party in the general election while the conflict in the restive region remains unresolved and IDPs are excluded from the polling.

Tomorrow, the opposition forces in Khartoum and the SPLM will adopt a joint position on whether or not to participate in the presidential election.

The opposition forces demanded the delay of elections till November to settle political irregularities, amend laws obstructing public freedom and settle Darfur problem.

(ST)