Roundup of media reports on voter turnout in South Sudan referendum
January 11, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Statistics reported on Tuesday by Sudan state-run media and the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) have shed more light on the rates of voter turnout in different parts of north and south Sudan in addition to overseas polling stations as the referendum on south Sudan independence enters its fourth day.
A total of 3,932,588 voters have registered for the referendum. Those include 3.753.815 in the south, 116,860 in the north and 60,000 in eight Out of Country (OCV) voting and registration centers.
Validation of the referendum’s results requires 60% of registered voters, i.e. 2,359,553, whereas the outcome, whether in favor of unity or secession, will be determined by the simple majority, 50% plus 1.
IN SOUTH SUDAN
According to SSRC’s deputy chairman, who is also chairman of Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau, Chan Reec Madut, incoming reports from polling stations in the ten states of southern Sudan indicate that the percentage of people who cast their ballots during the first and second day had reached 46 %.
Madut, who was speaking to Sudan’s official news agency SUNA on Tuesday, said that this large turnout would make the commission bring the dates planned for announcing preliminary results forward to 31 January instead of 7 February.
In the Upper Nile State, where 325, 287 have registered; a heavy turnout has been reported although no exact figures were given. The media secretary of the referendum state committee in the Upper Nile, James Daniel Shwang, told SUNA on Tuesday that the state had witnessed a large turnout and that no incidents of security breakdown occurred.
According to Daniel, there are observers from IGAD and the EU monitoring the vote in the state which has 242 polling stations.
In Western Bahar El Ghazal State, the head of the referendum state committee, Waul Shang Madut, on Tuesday revealed to SUNA that the number of people who cast their ballots in Raja locality, which borders South Darfur State, had reached 12, 782 out of 21.113 voters registered in the area.
Also according to Madut, the number of people who voted in the state’s provincial capital, Wau town had reached 45.188 out of 80.000.
In total, says Madut, the turnout in Western Bahr El Ghazal is estimated by more than 50%.
IN NORTH SUDAN
The percentage of voter turnout in north Sudan has reached 25%, according to SSRC’s official spokeswoman Suad Ibrahim Issa.
However, Suad was quoted by SUNA on Tuesday as saying that the commission was yet to receive preliminary results of voter turnout in south Sudan.
In Khartoum State, which holds the largest number of southern population despite recent mass returns by southerners to their homelands for fears of retribution, the percentage of the voters who cast their ballots had reached 87%, according to SUNA reports.
SUNA quoted the head of the referendum chamber in Khartoum State at the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), Judah Allah Osman, as saying that the reported turnout is the highest among all states in the north.
Judah Allah urged the SSRC to issue a decision authorizing the use of personal ID to vote in order to allow those who lost their voter registration cards to vote.
IN OCV COUNTRIES
OCV countries, which include Australia Canada Egypt Ethiopia Kenya Uganda United Kingdom and the United States, have reported a voter turnout of 25%, SSRC’s official spokesman Suad Ibrahim Issa told SUNA on Tuesday.
(ST)
deyjien
Roundup of media reports on voter turnout in South Sudan referendum
The turnout is quite encouraging. Am appealing to GOSS to provide transportation to voters in rural areas far from polling stations in-order for them to cast their ballots and beat the 61% and 51% required for South Sudan to seceed and become a republic.
SSRC should not even think of use of Personal IDs especially for people in the north to cast their vote, maybe for those in the south only..
John M. Atem
What a historical voters turn out!
I am greatly amazed and deeply thrilled by the overwhelming historical voters turn out both at home and abroad. This historical voters turn out is a clear indication that the people of Southern Sudan have grown increasingly sick and tired of being taunted, abused and physically humiliated by demon-possesed Arab thugs. It is also a clear indication that the people of Southern Sudan are eager to form their own independent political state and administered themselves.
Indeed, our forfathers and our fathers have bravely fought and fought for this historical political event to take place and we are truly grateful for their incredibly contributions to this forever life-changing political event in the life of our people.
Folks, recently group of mentally-challenged and murderous thugs have been running around preaching their shadow-chasing and outdated ideology of Somalization of Southern Sudan should we become an independent political state in about three days. This shadow-chasing and stomach-turning ideology of Somalization of Southern Sudan is never going to happen. We, the people of Southern Sudan are more than ever before fully prepared to combat all these challlenges and eventualities should they occure and are ready to comprehensively eradicate them.
Folks, I have said it many times on this magnificently great website and I want to say it once again, let us stop preaching down-market, diversionary and outdated primitive stone age period politics that have reduced us into the lowest common denominator in the scale of contemporary human beings. Let us encourage, promote and emphasis our unbreakable shared commonality and de-emphasis our personal and old-fashioned political differences for the greater good of our peace-loving and liberty-seeking people of a would- be soon to be born freest God-fearing Christian nation-state of Southern Sudan.
This would-be soon to be born freest Christian nation-state of Southern Sudan will not be peaceful, prosperous and united if we continue to beat the drum of wars, inciting tribal hatred politics and insanity political killings that have been taking place lately.
We must bring every body on board so that we build this soon to be born nation together. We have fought for it together and we have the responsibility to nurture it together.
Therefore, I ardently urge you the people of Southern Sudan to put an end to scourages of war, tribalism, nepotism and outdated tribal hatred politics and build a strong, God-fearing and more moralistic corruption-free commonwealth Christian nation-state of Southern Sudan based on disinterested love, co,operation an solidarity.
Finally and last, but not certainly the least, May almighty God bless you all as you continued to cast your vote in this credibly important life-changing political event in the life of our people.
Finally and yet importantly, the writer of this comment is John Atem. Atem is the orphaned son of late freedom fighter. He has successfully completed Certificates in Agriculture, Peace Education and Diploma in Criminal Justice Program.
Garang Ngong
Roundup of media reports on voter turnout in South Sudan referendum
60% already achieved in referendum voting Bravo, bravo& bravo they were talking of 50%+1. That is great to hear from media report. Okay they say joy of other is sorrow of other people.
I think with hardship southerners have undergone for the last 21 years struggle, they will even vote upto 100%.
Independent oyahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa