South Sudan Referendum Commission says Unity state highest in registered voters

January 2, 2011 (JUBA) – The final registration result for referendum on independence published by the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission has put the region’s oil rich Unity state in the lead with over half a million voters registered.

A total of 3.9 million southerners have been registered in southern Sudan, northern states and the Diaspora. 3.7 million people have been registered in the South alone while over 116,000 and 60,000 people were registered in northern Sudan and the Diaspora, respectively.

According to the final figures released Unity state has the highest registered voters of 500, 975, followed by Warrap and Central Equatoria states with 469,605 and 469,202, respectively. The two states with lowest registered voters are Western Bahr Ghazal and Western Equatoria with only 164,497 and 214,605 people, respectively.

In the public document released on Sunday by the Deputy Head of the Southern Sudan 2011 Referendum Taskforce Secretariat and Director of Policy and Monitoring in the Office of the President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Joseph Madak Both, the registration result has also revealed that out of the total voters registered 52% are female while 48% are male.

Madak called on the registered voters to turn out in the next six days and vote during the seven days exercise from 9th to 15th January.

Clarifying concerns about the folding of the voting paper that the ink for thumbing on secession choice may also print on unity choice after folding the paper, he said there was assurance from the referendum commission that the ink would quickly dry soon after the thumbing and would not print on the corresponding unity choice when folded.

Madak also said the Taskforce was assured by the Deputy Chairman of the Khartoum-based Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, Chan Reec Madut, who also heads the Juba-based Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau that there is no provision in the referendum act that guides or restricts how the paper will be folded. He said the referendum official explained that a voter can fold the paper the way he or she wants without using the folding that can correspond to the either symbol of the two options.

The Director of Policy Monitoring in the President’s office also called on the voters to be vigilant and keep their registration cards in order to determine their future on January 9. Madak further warned that there are some in the northern authorities that want to buy up to a million voter registration cards from southerners and destroy them in order to fail the required 60% turnout contrary to their public statements reiterating to let South vote freely and fairly in the referendum.

(ST)