Over 99.95 percent vote for southern independence in Eastern Equatoria

By Ijoo Bosco

January 22, 2011 (TORIT) – The state referendum high committee in Eastern Equatoria state has announced that 99.95 percent of votes cast in South Sudan’s independence plebiscite opted for the region to separate from the north.

According to the preliminary results only 0.05 percent of voters want Sudan to remain united.

The referendum was a key part of a 2005 peace deal between north and south. Initial results indicate that South Sudan will secede to become Africa’s fifty fifth state. More than two million people died in what was Sudan’s second north-south civil war.

The chairperson of the state referendum committee in Eastern Equatoria Teko Allan Lochul hailed his organization and all the international bodies for the technical and necessary assistance they accorded to the state for the success of the exercise.

The Eastern Equatoria State Referendum High Committee announced the preliminary results in Torit hotel in the presence of hundreds of the state citizens who turn up to cheer the results.

Voting took place from January 9-15 and saw a huge turnout, passing the threshold of 60 percent needed for the vote to be valid under the referendum law passed by Sudan’s parliament.

According to Galdino Ochama, the operations officer for the committee, over 465,052 people registered in the state for the referendum exercise and 463,699 casted their votes. Turnout in the state reached 99.71 percent.

Galdino further outline some challenges they faced as a committee in the state ranging from finance to transport but hailed the state government for being supportive.

Speaking after the ceremony Anesia Achieng hailed the community especially women for their tiresome work that had resulted in the success of the referendum.

She also urged the state government to stand with women to help the state progress.

William Okot who is in charge of administration and finance pointed out that “the chairman of the commission said the success of the referendum would be a miracle.” However he said that its success was not a miracle but an illustration of the commitment of the people.

The voting exercise passed successfully in Eastern Equatoria state with no violence or intimidation reported all over the eight counties of the state.

The breakdown of the voter turnout in the state was as follows:

Torit County 99.86 percent

Lafon/Lopa County 100.00 percent

Kapoeta North County 99.97 percent

Kapoeta East 99.98 percent

Kapoeta South County 99.97 percent

Budi County 99.98 percent

Ikotos County 99.99 percent

Magwi County 99.86 percent

(ST)