N. Bahr el Ghazal arrests election worker accused of fraud

By Ngor Arol Garang

April 12, 2010 (ABYEI) – The voting process in the southern state of Northern Bahr el Ghazal entered its second day amid a number of logistical concerns but progressed despite the arrest of one national election commission staff member who allegedly ticked ballots in favor of other political parties.

SPLM candidates in the area made the accusations against the poll worker. There were other similar accusations and claims of blockage and arrest of agents associated with other political parties and independent candidates from entering polling centers in the region.

At Mangar Angui polling station, on Monday, today, in Abiem West constituency, Aweil East County, a shooting allegedly ordered by County Commissioner Diing Aher Ngong, against agents of independent candidates in the area, is reported to have taken place.

No fatalities have so far been reported, but General Dau Aturjong Nyuol, an independent candidate contesting for gubernatorial position, against official nominee of the SPLM, Paul Malong Awan Anei, said John Garang Malek, one of his agents in the area, has sustained serious leg injury during the shooting by the police executing orders of the county commissioner.

According to him, a number of his agents in the two counties of Aweil East and West, particularly in Malualkon, Warawar, Yargot, Wanyjok, Mangar Angui, Nyamalel and Marial Baai have been arrested without charges and no investigations have been conducted by the authorities.

But state authorities denied the charge and described security situation in the state as normal and said some of the parties and independent candidate agents reportedly arrested on Saturday night have been released.

Some of the independent local observers interviewed expressed skepticism over the success of these elections saying chances of successful and credible elections in the state are slim unless authorities cooperate with the National Election Commission representative in the area to encourage them to double up their efforts to resolve some of the outstanding concerns.

Garang Bak Bol, an independent observer in the area, said every polling station in Northern Bahr El Ghazal State has its problems. He said the polling in the area is facing a number of logistical problems which has compelled the election commission to consider reducing polling centers in some counties and constituencies.

This reduction, as it is being experienced in the south, requires voters to travel to the nearest polling centers for voting. Besides this reduction in polling centers is the mixing and transfer of names on the voter registries from the polling center where the voter originally registered to another. This is causing confusion among illiterate voters. They travel for their names and upon arrival to the polling center where their names have appeared, they are required to wait for additional hours on the queues waiting for voting. This is discouraging and some of the voters go home without voting, he said.

Some voters who have walked long distances fail to even get through the step of identifying their name on the voters’ list, he said, adding since yesterday the elections process in some places has not yet started due to lack of ballot papers or missing voters list. Others such as Aweil Center County started late today after having resolved the issue of mixing, transfer and missing names in voter registers.

In Wanyjok and Mayom Wel constituencies, ballot papers for candidates contesting parliamentary seat for South Sudan Legislative Assembly are still missing hence hindered progress in the two areas.
In Yargot and Wunlang constituencies, voter names are missing hence prompted closure of the conduct of exercise until the issues are settled. In Aweil town constituency, ballot papers for National Legislative Assembly candidates are missing hence the closure of polling stations in the constituency until the issue is resolved.

Garang said these reports and claims of some names of eligible voters missing in the voter registers has engulfed the entire state and is seriously hindering progress in all the five counties of Northern Bahr el Ghazal. According to Garang Yak Aguer, a local official who was at Wanyjok polling station also said no single polling station operates without difficulties and hindrances. The right set of ballot papers is never available at any given polling station, he said.

If, for instance, a ballot paper for South Sudan Legislative Assembly is available then a ballot for either national legislative assembly or state may not be available, he said. If names of eligible voters are available, then there may be other problems such as mixing and transfer of names to other polling stations or completely missing lists, he said describing it as an absolute mess.

(ST)