Workshop for Voter Education Evaluation in W. Equatoria ends in Yambio
June 25, 2010 (YAMBIO, WES) — The last in a series of workshop for Voter Education Evaluation for the last April elections in Sudan opened Friday in the State’s capital Yambio.
Electoral officials and civil society groups participated in the two day workshop focused on the important role of elections in the democratic process in Western Equatoria. In reinforcing the capacities of voters through specialized workshops, the network of voters is strengthened and a platform is created to favour citizen education and a democratic culture.
Sudan held general elections last April and voter education was cited to have contributed to a lot of mistakes at the polling stations.
The State National Elections High Committee (HEC) chair person, Mr. Lawrence Sulubia Amin, officially opened the two-day at Naivasha Hotel –Yambio, on Wednesday.
Addressing the participants, the chairperson of state (HEC) said that, “the workshop came as a result of the context of the millennium development Goal 2001-2099 which integrates the objectives of good governance.”
April 2010 saw Sudan first multi party elections in 24 years, after a bitter civil war between the North and South respectively.
Sulubia disclosed that, “with the millennium development goal, the governor has the mandate from the electorates; he is answerable to seventy eight thousands electorates in the state.”
“As field officers, all you have experienced during the voters education and elections low turnout during elections showed voters education was not wide spread and intensified all over the state,” he added.
The two-day work is being hailed as a corner stone for the conference on the evaluation anticipated to take place way back after the April elections.
The workshop drew participants from all over the state, the stake holders, community and faith based organizations, civil society organizations and associations who conducted the voters’ education during Sudan’s April general elections.
Voters education is of high concern to WES more specially for the forth coming referendum as insecurity has caused havocs to the citizens which may be a sign of fear for the success of the Referendum exercise in the state.
The workshop was organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), State National elections high committee WES in collaboration with the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNIMIS).
Lawrence Sulubia of Western Equatoria, has been praised as a hero of electoral law.
In Western Equatoria, many people hail what they say was a neutral position taken by Lawrence Suluba, chairman of the State High Elections Committee in Western Equatoria state.
Many called him a “hero” of democratic principles who did not bow down to the direct threats on his life allegedly by the state authorities or did not surrender to material gains in order to rig or inflate the elections results.
(ST)