SPLM, opposition question legitimacy of post-election government
April 22, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) today questioned the legitimacy of the government to be formed after the controversial nationwide elections that was marred by boycotts and accusations of fraud.
The full results of the elections which ended over a week ago have yet to be announced, already delayed by what officials in Khartoum describe as technical and logistical issues. Today a senior official at the National Elections Commission (NEC) said that results of the presidential race should be forthcoming in the next 48 hours.
The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) leader and the incumbent president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir is widely expected to secure a new term after his two main challengers Yasir Arman from the SPLM and Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi from the Umma party withdrew from the race.
On the parliamentary and gubernatorial level the NCP appeared headed to a sweeping victory in North Sudan.
Officials from the NCP have started talking about a national government after election results are final but they gave conflicting signals on whether parties that lost or boycotted would be allowed to join. Bashir have suggested that only parties gains in the elections would be invited to be part of the new government.
The SPLM today said that it would deal with the upcoming NCP dominated government as a de-facto one.
“The SPLM is clear that the NCP rigged the elections in the north, but we will deal with the next government as the de facto government,” Arman, told Reuters.
“Nobody has the power to cancel this result but the people, and political parties will not take it as a legitimate result” he added.
Arman further said that the judiciary is influenced by the NCP which mean there could be no challenge to the results.
Senior NCP official Rabie Abdel-Aati dismissed Arman’s comments as “political pressure” and said SPLM chairman Salva Kiir had agreed to form a coalition government.
“We are not bothered with any other views — the only source of agreement is Salva Kiir,” Abdel-Aati told Reuters. Arman denied any such agreement had been made.
“We have not even got the results of the elections yet – how can we make such an agreement?” he said.
Hatim Al-Sir who was the DUP presidential challenger said today that the election outcome is “a joke” saying the NCP itself was overwhelmed by the “inflated” results caused by “massive rigging”.
“Our preliminary position is clear which is that there is no recognition of the current result….it does not make sense to reject the election results and take part in a government which came through rigged elections” Al-Sir told the London based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
“Participation in the upcoming government is a recognition of the election results and this is unacceptable to us. we want to completely close this door” he added.
Yesterday the NCP accused opposition leaders of seeking to travel abroad and begin a campaign to smear the image of the elections. The remarks were apparently directed at DUP leader Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani who left for Cairo after issuing a statement rejecting the outcome of the elections and calling for scrapping it.
The NCP senior official and presidential adviser Ghazi Salah Al-Deen Al-Attabani said today that the opposition stance on elections does not affect its legitimacy stressing that international observers only said that the polls fell short of international standards.
Al-Attabani in an interview with African Today online website said that the elections proved that the Popular Congress Party (PCP) led by Turabi does not have any support among the population.
Turabi accused the NEC of collaborating with NCP to orchestrate electoral fraud threatening unspecified measures if the situation is not rectified. He also dismissed talk of joining the government.
(ST)
Gatwech
SPLM, opposition question legitimacy of post-election government
Dear readers,
Look at the rebellious Yasser Aram stabbing his chairman at the back. Kir/Taha had agreed to form the next government and pledged to accept the results and Arman is saying the opposite.
Arman wants to form a new party and should not confuse the SPLM with the aim to destroy partnership between NCP and SPLM.
He and Pagan Amum should quickly be investigated and fired, otherwise their mission now is to confuse and destroy the SPLM and its partnership with the NCP.
Watch out against hyenas in sheep’s skin roaming among the sheep.
Gatwech
SPLM, opposition question legitimacy of post-election government
Now that Yasser Aram pushes for non-acceptance of election results in the North, will the rebellious Pagan Amum also push for non-acceptance of results in the South as he has begun to complain and deny the defeat of SPLM officials by independents and SPLM-DC?
Pagan instead of beating around the bushes, tell us about when your investigations begin because of your indiscipline and rebellion to the SPLM chairman. Could the Juba meeting include your investigation?
Look at him in the picture in the article where he “downplays” the preliminary results, he looks really like a communist revolutionary waiting for any “red terror” revolution to occur. This is a guy who did not participate in actual battles in a killing field but is always after crisis and “RED TERROR.”
Ofcourse SPLM is delaying the announcement of results with the hope to rig them in favor of their candidates. But preliminary results have already indicated defeats of many of top officials including those three mentioned above.
I talked to people in Akobo yesterday and confirmed to me that John Luk has lost to Taban Juch. I am not sure about Oyai Deng and Kosti Manibe because I have not talked to their constituencies.
John Luk was led down by Kuol Manyang during the forces back up. What took place in Jonglei is that the whole SPLA Division in Jonglei state was on the constant move from station to station with the full order to back up SPLM candidates.
They were divided into brigades moving from station to station. Today in the morning they voted in station A and in the midday they vote in station B and in the evening the same brigade repeats to vote in station C.
There was no verification of their names as their overall commander, General Peter Bol Kong told NEC staff that the forces were not registered in Jonglei during the registeration period so they had to vote any way.
Those of Kuol Manyang, Michael Makuei Lueth, Dr. Benjamin Marial, Gier Chuang etc were backed up by the overwelming SPLA forces to defeat their rivals who had majority support among the civil population. Kuol Manyang was very clever enough to have manufactured ballot papers in Bor town which he supplied to soldiers during the voting. That was a smart way of stealing the elections unlike Taban Deng Gai who had to react to the results after his defeat.
Unfortunately, John Luk Jok, Oyai Deng Ajak, Kosti Manibe and the rest of losing SPLM candidates were left in the cold without SPLA forces backing them up in their constituencies, leaving them victims to the merciless and angry civilian voters!