Southern Sudan minister tells electors vote for Arman

April 7, 2010 (JUBA) — A minister in the regional government of South Sudan has told potential voters in the region to still consider casting their votes into the box with Arman ballot papers.

South Sudan’s ruling party and main partner of the ruling National Congress Party announced last Tuesday is decision to withdraw SPLM candidate for the Sudanese presidency, citing irregularities and violence in Darfur. On Monday 6 April, the party withdraw its candidates for legislative and gubernatorial elections.

Dr. Luka Monoja Tombe, who heads the ministry of cabinet affairs, said that the SPLM’s candidate for the presidency of the Republic, Mr. Yasir Saeed Arman, will remain on the balloting papers because he withdrew after the papers had been printed.

“Because SPLM decision to consider withdrawing presidential candidate from race came after his name and photo had been printed, voters would still cast their voters into his box since there is no way to avoid this from happening; it will be up to the voter to decide what to do,” he said.

The minister, who addressed civic education meeting in the regional capital of Juba on Tuesday 6 April, expressed optimism that the coming election will proceed well, expressing. hope that the challenges bedeviling the process will be surmounted.

It is a historical moment, especially for the Southerners, to participate in this democratic process, Tombe said encouraging voters to turn out in large numbers for voting beginning Sunday 11.

He also advised that voters need not fear because all they will need to do on the day is place a tick or cross against the candidate or party of their choice.

The upcoming voting process is described as complicated as a voter is expected to vote twelve times, hence prompting efforts to properly educate them how and where to cast their votes rightly.

The voting process is divided into four tables at which the voter will cast three votes. The first table is for the president of the Republic of Sudan; second table is for the president of the Government of Southern Sudan; third table is for the gubernatorial candidates in the voting state; while the fourth table is for the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, women’s list, party list and the geographical constituency positions.

Achuil Malith Banggol, a SPLM secretary for popular and syndicate organization, expressed the same feeling wishing voters to vote for Arman. Because I do not any authority to direct voters, I would like to share with them my wishes. It shall be a real show of strength to accept and continue to vote for Yasir Saeed Arman to complete promises that SPLM supporters at all levels were to vote 12 times in the south and 8 times in the north for SPLM, he said.

The official considered withdrawal of the presidential candidate on the SPLM ticket as legitimate saying there is no single agreement signed with Khartoum based government and has not been dishonored leave alone addiction to implementation with dishonesty.

“The entire northern political establishment left no room in exercising dishonesty and violation of agreements with South Sudan amongst themselves,” he said stressing that Comprehensive Peace Agreement is being implemented with impunity and violation of its dates including every resolution in the CPA.

Current elections have been rigged throughout all its process including future outcomes; he said adding census registration in the south was tainted with similar rigging out of the process and finally in computing the final results.

This rigging is being officially admitted by the ruling National Congress Party by accepting SPLM position and demand to add 40 seats for south Sudan and some for Abyei, Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile states, he said

Voter registration also experienced the same and many states lost over hundreds of thousands of registered voters. This was done in the final voter registration which was unconstitutionally kept out of reach of the political parties and observers till today; he said stressing SPLM attempts in the past to address these concerns was met with haughtiness by NCP hence resulted to SPLM support to the position of partial postponement of the elections in Nuba mountains which they approved.

SPLM requested correction of voter registration in the south but that was like declaring a war against them because they are doing it to ensure incumbent president Bashir doesn’t face defeat through south Sudan because majority in the south would vote for Yasir Arman being SPLM candidate.

The other reason being malpractices in printing ballot papers, bloated voters register and in ill allocation of constituencies to guarantee winning of the national congress candidate by rigging all processes. These processes including situation in Darfur where curfew is in place justifies SPLM decision to withdraw it national presidential candidate comrade Yasir Saeed Arman, Achuil says.

(ST)