Lakes state’s youth leaders in Yirol West happy with referendum results
January 21, 2011 (RUMBEK) – Yirol West county, in eastern part of Rumbek, the capital of Lakes state has announced that it recorded 52,299 votes in favor of secession and only 13 votes for in favor of the unity of Sudan, in the referendum that concluded last week.
Youth leaders have reacted to news saying that Yirol West county wants the south to separate from the north. The referendum was agreed as part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of war between Sudan’s north and south.
Yirol West county referendum commission member, Antiphas Wenyin Paul, affirmed that “the total register in Yirol West County was 52,871 and the total which have voted is 52338 for separation is 52299 and for unity is 13, those who have not voted is 533, Invalid ballot is 23 and the unmarked ballot is 3”.
On Wednesday, The Lakes State Referendum High Committee chairman Michael Mabor Makuei announced that over 99.924% percent of the voters across the eight counties of the state opted for secession with 298,216 votes cast in favor of separation while a paltry 227 voted for unity.
Sudan Tribune had incorrectly reported that Yirol West County had obtained 41 votes for unity, instead of the correct figure of 13. http://www.sudantribune.com/Lakes-state-preliminary-result,37692
Moses Telar, a youth leader in Lakes state, told Sudan Tribune that he was happy with the referendum results so far.
“We are separatist here in Yirol West County of Lakes state since the beginning of struggle – we need South Sudan to get independent from Khartoum – those 13 people who casted in their votes for unity of the country was their democratic right to choose unity and in fact few of them casted in their votes for unity by mistake due to lack of awareness that did not reached remote areas in Yirol West”.
Thousands of people across Lakes state excitedly herd the announcement of the preliminary result in favor secession.
Lakes state governor Chol Tong Mayay on Wednesday said: “I am very happy for this result which fully indicate secession of South Sudan from Khartoum regime, I am happy with this result because I was already separatist since day one – we get ourselves in new nation and with new history added into Africa as a continent to have new chapter history in new state.”
Lakes state High Referendum preliminary result indicated that 99.924% voted for separation and 0.076% for unity. Final results are expected in early February.
(ST)